IcHCDL History 
Of Virginia 



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191 'XSS^. 




ROBERT E. LEE 



SCHOOL HISTORY 
OF VIRGINIA 



BY 

EDGAR SYDENSTRICKER 

AND 

AMMEN L. BURGER 



DULANEY-BOATWRIGHT COMPANY. PUBLISHERS 

LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 

MCMXIV 



COPYRIGHT, 1914 



Dulaney-Boatwright Company, Publishers 
Lynchburg, Virginia 



DEC 18 1914 

0)CLA393045 



NOTE TO TEACHERS 



^ 



The purpose of the authors in preparing this volume 
has been to supply the children in the public schools 
with a simply told history of the Virginia people from 
the founding of Jamestown to the present time. They 
have abandoned the plan generally prevalent among 
writers on this subject, of treating the history of Vir- 
ginia as the story of the early colony and of the part 
which the state played in the Revolutionary and Civil 
wars, with a few generalities on the last century, and 
have secured a great deal of new material in the en- 
deavor to produce a connected and proportioned ac- 
count of the growth and development of Virginia since 
1607. 

In the School History of Virginia, therefore, the 
space usually allotted to the colonial and war periods 
has been reduced, without sacrificing either important 
facts or graphic details, and more space and greater 
attention have been given to the intervening periods 
and to the years since the Civil War. Many important 
facts not generally available have been added in the 
treatment of the colonial period; all essential facts 
have been included in the treatment of the war periods, 
and proper emphasis has been given to such phases of 
the life of the people as education, internal improve- 
ments, slavery, farming and industrial development, 
sectionalism between the eastern and western parts of 
the state, and the customs and ways of living. 



vi. NOTE TO TEACHEBS 

A very practical difficulty in making, as well as in 
nsing, a text-book on history, lies in the fact that the 
school session, and therefore the time available in a 
grade, varies in different localities. To meet this need 
for a certain degree of elasticity, the text covering the 
periods between the French and Indian War and the 
Revolutionary War and before and after the Civil War, 
has been so arranged that certain sections or topics 
can be omitted without destroying the continuity of the 
story. The leading paragraphs in the p'eriods named, it 
will be seen, contain summaries of the principal events. 
Furthermore, the teacher is afforded the opportunity — 
which is doubtless often desired — of selecting for more 
careful study those phases of the subject in which the 
class exhibits the liveliest interest. 

The authors have not sought to exploit any theories 
of their own as to the methods of teaching history ; 
rather have they adopted only such methods as they 
and others have found to be best in actual experience. 
It has been their aim to make this book, in both style 
and language, sufficiently simple to admit of its being 
used successfully in any grammar school grade above 
the fourth. They here aclaiowledge their indebtedness 
to the many experienced teachers of Virginia history 
throughout the state whose criticisms, based on every- 
day experience in the class-room, have been of very 
great help in bringing the book into its present form. 

E. S. 
A. L. B. 
Lynchburg, Va., 1914. 



CONTENTS 



INTEODUCTORY 



DiSCOVEBIES 13 

Early Accounts — Christopher Columbus — First Voyage of Colum- 
bus — Three Other Voyages — Discoveries of the Cabots — The 
Name America. 

Colonization 16 

Early Settlements — Spanish and French Attempts — First English 
Attempts — Sir Walter Raleigh — Raleigh's First Colony — Failure 
of the Colony — Raleigh's Second Colony — The Colony Destroyed — 
Last Days of Raleigh. 

The Natives 22 

The Indians — Divisions, Tribes, Clans — Indians in Virginia — Ap- 
pearance and Dress — Occupations and Weapons — Houses and Ag- 
riculture — Hunting and Warfare — Education and Character — Re- 
ligion and Government. 

VIRGINIA AS A COLONY 

1607-1776. 

Under the London Company 28 

The Founding of Jamestown ; Interest in Virginia — The London 
Company — The Charter — The Colonists Sail — They Reach Vir- 
ginia — Beginning of Jamestown — First Council and President — 
Smith and Newport Explore — Powhatan — Indians Attack James- 
town — Famine and Sickness — Wingfield Removed 28 

Captain John Smith: Smith's Early Life — Smith Explores — Made 
a Prisoner — Taken Before Powhatan — Rescued by Pocahontas — 
First Supply of Colonists — Fire at Jamestown — Smith Explores 
Chesapeake Bay — Smith Succeeds Ratcliffe — Second Supply of 
Colonists 36 

Relationx tvith the Indians: Reasons for Keeping the Indians 
Friendly — A Change Comes Over the Indians — Smith Again Visits 
Powhatan — Smith Warned by Pocahontas — A Visit to Opechanca- 
nough — Opechancanough Brought to Terms — Conditions at James- 
town — Argall Arrives 43 

Chawjes in the London Company: London Company Reorganized — 
The Second Charter — Arrival of Third Supply — Smith Continues 
in Charge — His Last Adventure in Virginia — Smith Leaves Vir- 
ginia 48 

Eard Times at Jamestown: The "Starving Time" — Gates, Somers 
and Newport — They Abandon Jamestown — Met by Lord Dela- 
ware — Return to Jamestown — Weakness of the Colony 52 

Improved Conditions: Lord Delaware's Administration — Col miots 
Set to Work — Somers and Argall — Delaware Returns t--) ii'n:;- 
land — Dale's Administration — A New Code of Liaws — Al.j'iiS ff 
Punishment — The Third Ch.arter — New Settlement Boicuu— Po -i- 
hontas Brought to Jamestown — Powhatan Delays — Marrnge of 
Pocahontas • • 57 

The Colony Grows: Each Man to Own Property — D.ile Leaves Vir- 
ginia — Virginia in 1616 — Cultivation of Corn and Tobacco — 
i-ccahontas Visits England — Smith Calls on Hei" — De.ilh of Poca- 
hontas — Argall Made Governor — Yeardley Made Governor — Re- 
sults of Argall's Administration — A New Policy — The "Great 
Charter" 64 



viii. CONTENTS 

PAGl! 

The First Legislature : Yeardley Calls an Election — The First Legis- 
lative Assembly — Some of the Laws Passed — White Servants in 
Virginia- — First Negro Slaves — Wives for the Colonists — Yeard- 
ley Retires- — Tobacco the Chief Crop — A Treacherous Chief — 
Great Indian Massacre — Overthrow of the London Company — 
The First School in Virginia 72 

Ukder the Crown 80 

Virginia a Royal Colony — Change of Governors — Lord Balti- 
more's Grant — Dispute Over Kent Island — First Counties Laid 
Out — Harvey Arrested — Sir William Berkeley — Second Indian 
Massacre 80 

Under the Commonwealth 86 

Affairs in England — The Commonwealth — Cavaliers Come to Vir- 
ginia — Cromwell and Virginia — Virginia Prospers — The Govern- 
ment — End of the Commonwealth 86 

Under the Crown 91 

Berkeley's fiecond Administration: A Period of Discontent — The 
Navigation Act — Law Against Quakers — The Long Assembly — - 
The Colonists Complain — Arlington-Culpeper Grant — Virginia in 
1676 91 

Bacon's ReheUion: Indians Give Trouble — Nathaniel Bacon — New 
House of Burgesses — Work of the New Assembly- — -Bacon Gets a 
Commission — Berkeley Goes to Eastern Shore — Oath of Middle 
Plantation — Berkeley Returns to Jamestown — Bacon Burns James- 
town — Death of Bacon — Berkeley Removed — Bacon's Cause.... 97 

Some Important Changes .- Lord Culpeper — A New Requirement — 
Beginning of Towns — The Tobacco Insurrection — Lord Howard — 
Changes in England — Sir Edmund Andres — Capital Removed to 
Williamsburg — Post Offices Established 106 

The Colony Grows : Alexander Spotswood — First Iron Furnace — 
The Valley Explored — Spotswood Removed — Boundary Dispute 
With North Carolina — Richmond and Petersburg — Settlement 
of the Valley — Virginia in 1750 Ill 

French arid Indian War : French and English Claims — The French 
and Virginia — Washington's Journey — Capture of Fort Neces- 
sity — England Sends Troops — Braddock's Advance — Braddock's 
Defeat — Washington Defends the Frontier — Capture of Fort Du- 
quesne — Treaty of Peace, 1763 117 

The People of the Colony: Kinds of People — Eastern and Western 
Virginia — 'Towns in Colonial Virginia — Trade and Business — 
The Plantation — The Virginia Cavalier and Lady — Life and Oc- 
cupations of the Planter — Western Virginians- — Where They Came 
Prom — Their Character 125 

Education in the Colony: Kinds of Schools — Free Schools — Acade- 
mies — William and Mary College — Early Years of the College. . 134 

Events Leading to the Revolution : Conditions after 1763 — The Par- 
son's Case — The Stamp Act — Patrick Henry's Resolutions — The 
Stamp Act Repealed — The Townshend Acts — The Virginia Re- 
solves — Townshend Acts Repealed— Committee of Correspond- 
ence — The Tax on Tea — First Continental Congress 138 

Dunmore, the Last Royal Governor : Indian Troubles in the West — 
An Expedition Planned — Battle of Point Pleasant — Second Vir- 
ginia Convention — Dunmore's Behavior — Dunmore Leaves Wil- 
liamsburg — Committee of Safety 1-47 



CONTENTS ix. 

VIRGINIA AND THE REVOLUTION 

17761781. 

PAGE 

Virginia Leads the Revolt 153 

Conditions in the Colonies, 1775- — Second Continental Congress — 
Why "VVashington Was Chosen — Washington Takes Charge — The 
Colonies Unprepared — Virginia Favors Independence — The Bill 
of Rights — A Constitution Adopted — The Declaration of Inde- 
pendence — The State Seal — Inheritance of Property — Virginia's 
Leadership 153 

The War of the Revolution 162 

In Other Colonies, 1775-1781 : Plans of the British — First Campaign 
in the Middle Colonies — Second Campaign in the Middle Col- 
onies — Final Campaign in the Middle Colonies — Operations on the 
Frontier — First Campaign in the South — Second Campaign in 

the South 162 

In Virginia, 1776-17S1 : Dunmore's Ravages — Dunmore Driven Out 
of Virginia — Muhlenburg in Charge — Arnold Invades Virginia — 
Arnold Reinforced — Cornwallis in Virginia — Richmond Evacu- 
ated — British Raids — Cornwallis Moves to Yorktown — Siege of 
Yorktown — -Cornwallis Surrenders — The End of the War — Gov- 
ernor Nelson 169 

VIRGINIA UNDER THE CONFEDERATION 
1781-1789. 

The Confederation Formed 179 

Each Colony an Independent State — The Confederation of Thir- 
teen States — -Virginia Cedes Her Northwest Territory — Articles of 
Confederation Adopted 179 

Settlement of the Western Counties 181 

Settlement of the Western Part of Virginia — Who the Western 
Settlers Were — Roads to the Valley — The Knox Teams — The Wil- 
derness Road — Kentucky Becomes a Separate State — Washing- 
ton Points Out the Need for Internal Improvements — His Sug- 
gestions Adopted — James Rumsey and His Experiments — Rumsey 
and the First Steamboat — Other Successful Trials Made. 

Questions of Religion and Slavery 189 

Some Other Matters in Which Virginia Was Interested — The Dis- 
senters in Virginia — The Disestablishment of the Episcopal 
Church — Protests Against Slavery — The Principal Objection to 

Slavery 

Virginia's Share in Forming the Union 194 

The Need of a New Central Government — Virginia Takes the 
Lead — "The Virginia Plan" — Virginia Ratifies the Constitution — 

VIRGINIA IN THE UNION 
1789-1861. 

Leading Events 201 

"The Virginia Dynasty" — .Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe — Two 
Other Virginia Presidents — Trial of Aaron Burr, 1807 — The 
Richmond Theatre Disaster, 1811 — The War With Great Brit- 
ain — The British Invade Virginia — Alexandria Attacked by Brit- 
ish — The Old Capitol Burned — The Mexican Wsr — Virginians in 
the War — The Gold Mining "Fever," 1849 — The Yellow Fever 
Epidemic — Literature Before the Civil War — Story Writers and 
Poets. 

Conflict Between East and West 212 

The Old Antipathy Grows — Questions on Which East and West 
Divided — The Constitutional Convention of 1829-1830 — What the 
Convention Did — Western Virginians Threaten to Form a New 
State — The Constitutional Convention of 1850-1851 — The Real 
Differences Never Settled 212 



X. CONTENTS 

PAGB 

Industrial Changes 218 

Two Changes Between 1790 and 1860 — Virginia Falls Behind — 
McCormick's Invention of the Reaper — McCormiek Leaves Vir- 
ginia — Edmund Ruffin and Better Farming — The Second Change, 
1830-1800 218 

INTBENAL IMPROVEMENTS 223 

The New Transportation Routes — Number and Cost of Improve- 
ments 223 

River ImprovKments : Washington's Suggestion — Batteaux on the 
James River — New Plans for Navigating the James River — The 
James River and Kanawha Company — The Building of the 
Canal — Packet Boats — Other Waterway Improvements 224 

HigUwmjs and Railroads : Highways and Bridges — Railroads — How 
the Money Was Gotten 230 

Slavery in Virginia 233 

The Feeling Against Slavery — Three Ways of Settling the Ques- 
tion — Slave Insurrections — The Southampton Insurrection, 1831 — 
The Slavery Question Again Discussed — How Slaves Were Treated. 

Education, 1789-1861 238 

Jefferson's Plan — Jefferson's Ideas About Education — Charity 
or "Public" Schools — "Public" Schools Looked Down Upon-;- 
Western Virginians Demand Schools — The Founding of the Uni- 
versity of Virginia — Buildings and Management — Opposition to 
the University — The University Grows — Other Schools — Acade- 
mies — State Institutions — Other Colleges — Hospitals and Special 
Schools 238 

VIRGINIA AND THE CIVIL WAE 
1861-1865 

The Forming of the Convederacy 250 

Causes of the War — Events that Brought on the War — John 
Brown's Raid, 1859 — The Presidential Election of 1860 — Seces- 
sion Begins, 1860-1861 — The Confederate States of America, 1861. 

The Beginning of the Civil War 255 

The United States .Refuses to Surrender Fort Sumter — Virginia 
and Other States Secede — Virginia Invaded and the War Begun — 
Robert E. Lee Resigns from the United States Army — Richmond 
is Made the Confederate Capital. 

The First Ye.\r of the War 260 

The Confederate States on the Defensive — The War in Virginia 
in 1861 — All Lines of Defense Unbroken in 1861. 

The Second Year of the War 263 

The Four Lines of Defense in 1862 — The Virginia's Fight with 
the Monitor — McClellan's Campaign Against Richmond — Jackson 
in the Valley — McClellan Comes Up York Peninsula — McClellan 
is Driven Buck by Lee and Jackson — Pope's Campaign Against 
Richmond — Burnside's Campaign Against Richmond. 

Tiit Third Year of the War 271 

The Four Lines of Defense in 1863 — -The Battle of Chancellors- 
ville — Death of .Jackson — Lee's Invasion of the North. 

The Fourth Year of the War 275 

Only Two Lines of Defense Left — In Winter Quarters in North- 
ern Virginia — Grant Tries to Capture Richmond from the North — 
The Attempt Fails — Buttler "Bottled Up" — Grant's Attack on 
Richmond from the Southeast — Hunter's Campaign in the Val- 
ley — Early Invades Maryland. 



CONTENTS xi. 

PAGE 

The End of thk War, 1865 285 

The Confederacy's Last Defense — The Confederate Line Broken — 
Lee's Army Surrounded — The Surrender at Appomattox — The 
Confederacy at au End — Virginia's Part in the War. 

PEEIOD OF RECONSTRUCTION 
1865-1868 

Separation of West Virginia — The "Restored Government" of Vir- 
ginia — "Reconstruction" — The Freedman's Bureau — The Union 
League — The Conservatives Become Active — The Constitutional 
Convention of 1867-1868 — Gilbert C. Walker Elected Govenor . . 292 

VIRGINIA SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 



Conditions After the War 299 

Reasons for Discouragement — The Poverty of the People — The 
Amount of Losses in Virginia — The "Carpet-baggers" — General 
Lee's Example — General Lee's Choice. 

Some Leading Events 304 

Repair and Restoration : The Assembly of 1869-1870 — Later Assem- 
blies, 1870-1880 — The Capitol Disaster, 1870 — The Railroads 
After the War — James River and Kanawha Canal Abandoned — 

Commodore Maury's "Survey" 304 

Progress and Development: State Board of Health Created, 1872 — 
Virginia Polytechnic Institute Established, 1872 — First State 
Department of Agriculture, 1877 — Centennial at Yorktown — 
Virginia Experiment Station, 1888 — First Electric Street Cars, 
1888 — "Boom Times," and the "Panic" of 1893 — Virginians 
and the War with Spain, 1898 — The Constitutional Convention 
of 19001901 — Some Important Changes — The Jamestown Expo- 
sition, 1907 309 

The Internal Improvement Debt 316 

Virginia's Debt of 145,000,000 in 1870 — West Virginia's Share 
of the Debt — Virginia Unable to Pay Six Per Cent — Funders and 
Readjusters — How the Interest Question Was Settled — The Read- 
juster Days — The Settlement of the Debt 316 

Political Parties in Virginia Since 1869 321 

How Parties Were Divided — Primary Elections Begun — Elections, 
1905 to 1910 — Governor Stuart's Election 321 

The Public School System 324 

Its Establishment : Jefferson's Ideas Realized — Ruffner, the First 
State Superintendent, 1870-1882 — Opposition to Public Schools — 
Public Schools Started — A Period of Poor Schools, 1882-1902 . . 324 
The Educational Awakening: The Revival of Education — Co-opera- 
tive Education Commission — J. D. Eggleston Elected Superin- 
tendent, 1905 — Educational Meetings — Some Results of the Edu- 
cational Awakening — Better School Buildings — Other Improve- 
ments—Normal Schools for Teachers 328 

Virginia in Rec ent Years 333 

The Making of History — Virginia in Recent Years — Better 
Farming — The Good Roads Movement — Fighting Disease — 
How Disease is Prevented — Growth of Cities — Virginians in 
National Affairs — Literature and Science — Recent Matters of 
Interest — A New Spirit in Old Virginia 

Appendix 342 



READING REFERENCES 
FOR THE USE OF TEACHERS 



Introductory : 

Fiske, Discovery of America; Grosse, Baleigh. 

Virginia as a Colony : 

Fiske, Old Virginia and Ser Neighbors; Bruce, Economic His- 
tory of Virginia in the Seventeenth Century; Institutional 
History of Virginia in the Seventeenth Centwry ; Social 
Life in Virginia in the Seventeenth Century ; Cooke, History 
of Virginia; Wise, The Early History of the Eastern Shore of 
Virginia; Long, Virginia County Names; Brown, The Genesis 
of the United States; The First Eepublic in America; English 
Politics in Early Virginia History; Chandler, Makers of Vir- 
ginia History. 

Virginia and the Eevolution : 

Fiske, The American Eevolution; Henry, PatricJc Henry; 
Parton, Thomas Jefferson; Eowland, Life and Correspondence 
of George Mason; Lodge, George Washington ; White, His- 
tory of the United States; Wilson, History of the American 
People. 

Virginia in* the Union: 

Ambler, Sectionalism in Virginia; Thomas Bitchie, A Study 
in Virginia Politics; McMaster, History of the People of the 
United States; Wise, Life of Henry A. Wise; Ballagh, Slavery 
in Virginia; Wayland, Political Opinions of Thomas Jeffer- 
son; The German Element in the Shenandoah Valley ; Chand- 
ler, Representation in Virginia; Suffrage in Virginia; Mun- 
ford, Virginia's Attitude Toward Slavery and Secession. 

Virginia and the Civii. War: 

Davis, Pise and Fall of the Confederate Government ; White, 
Pobert E. Lee; Henderson, Stonewall Jackson; Gordon, 
Beminiscences of the Civil War. 

Period of Eeconstruction: 

Eckenrode, Political History of the Beconstruction in Vir- 
ginia; Dunning, Essays on the Civil War and Beconstruction. 

Virginia Since the Civil War: 

Andrews, A History of the Last Quarter Century; Magruder, 
Eecent Administration in Virginia; Bruce, Bise of the New 
South; O'Ferrall, Forty Tears of Active Service. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



INTRODUCTORY. 



DISCOVERIES. 

Early Accounts. — Our story goes back to the first 
known visit by Europeans to the shores of North 
America. This was in the year 986. The people of 
Norway, Sweden and Denmark, then known as the 
Northmen, were for many centuries the most daring 
sailors in the world. They often went on long and dan- 
gerous voyages, and as early as 874 they began to set- 
tle in Iceland. More than one hundred years later, in 
986, Eric the Red, sailing from Iceland, planted a col- 
ony in what is now Greenland. In the year 1000, Leif 
(Lif), a son of Eric, set out from Greenland with thirty- 
five companions and explored the coast of what we now 
call New England. He called the country Vinland 
(Vine-land) because his men found many grapes grow- 
ing there. 

Christopher Columbus. — The people of Europe were 
too ignorant at that early time to feel much interest in 
new and far-off lands, and the voyages of Eric and 
Leif were soon forgotten. So little was known of the 
Atlantic Ocean that it was called the "Sea of Dark- 
ness." The trade between Europe and Asia was car- 
ried on over the Mediterranean Sea. About four hun- 
dred years* after the time of Eric and Leif, however, 



14 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

the Turks got possession of the eastern end of the Med- 
iterranean. They were enemies of the Europeans, and 
this route soon became unsafe for ships from Europe. 
Sailors then began to look for another route to Asia. 

Among those who early took an interest in the search 
for a new and safer route to Asia was a young Italian 
sailor named Christopher Columbus, a native of Genoa. 
People at that time believed that the earth was flat. 
Columbus, who had given much time to the study of 
geography, had a very different idea about the shape 
of the earth ; he believed that it was round. This led 
him to propose that it would be possible to reach east- 
ern Asia by sailing westward across the Atlantic Ocean. 

First Voyage of Columbus. — The idea of trying to 
reach Asia by sailing westward seemed foolish, how- 
ever, and Columbus had great difficulty in getting the 
necessary ships, provisions and men. Being poor, he 
had to ask others to help him. He spent more than 
twenty years seeking aid from the rulers of Spain, Por- 
tugal, France and England. He had everywhere met 
with discouragement, when at last King Ferdinand and 
Queen Isabella, of Spain, consented to fit out an expe- 
dition for him. 

On August 3, 1492, Columbus set out from Palos, 
Spain, with three small ships and 120 men. Neither 
Columbus nor anyone else on board expected to find a 
new country. Their one idea was to reach Asia, and 
when, on October 12, the little ships came to San Sal- 
vador, they thought it one of the East Indies. Later, 
they reached Cuba and Haiti, which were thought to 
belong to the same group of islands. Returning to 
Spain to report the success of his voyage, Columbus 
carried with him many new and strange things, includ- 
ing six of the natives from the islands he had visited. 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 15 

Three Other Voyages. — In 1493, Columbus made a 
second voyage, discovering the island of Jamaica. On a 
third voyage, in 1498, he reached South America, which 
he supposed to be the continent of Asia. His fourth and 
last voyage was made in 1502, when he discovered Central 
America. As far as is known, Columbus never saw the 
shores of what is now the United States. His last years 
were spent in poverty and sickness. He died in 1506, 
not knowing that he had discovered a new country, but 
firmly believing that he had succeeded in reaching Asia. 

Discoveries of the Cabots. — The news of the discov- 
eries of Columbus spread rapidly in Europe. John 
Cabot, a native of Genoa, then living in England, applied 
to King Henry VII, of England for permission to search 
for a route to Asia shorter than that taken by Columbus. 
Fitting out a ship at Bristol, England, he sailed in May, 
1497, with eighteen men, and after six weeks reached 
Labrador, where he took possession of the country in 
the name of the king. Accompanied by his son, Sebas- 
tian Cabot, he made two later voyages, exploring the 
coast of Labrador and New England. It is probable 
that on one of these voyages the Cabots came as far 
south as the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. They were 
the first Europeans, of whom there is any record, who 
visited the shores of North America after the time of 
Eric and Leif. 

The Name America. — The new country — for it was 
soon found that a new country had been discovered — 
was first called America in honor of an Italian explorer, 
Americus Vespucius, who visited the coast of Brazil 
in 1501 and made a map of that part of South America. 
The name was suggested by a German geographer in 
the year 1507. 



16 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIEGINIA 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Who were the Northmen? Tell about the discoveries of 
Eric and Leif. 

2. Why were these discoveries soon forgotten in Europe! 
What made it necessary to look for a new route to AsiaT 
What had been the old route? 

3. Who was Christopher Columbus? What was the general 
idea about the shape of the earth at that time? What 
was Columbus' idea? 

4. Why did Columbus find it difficult to get ships and men for 
his voyage? Who at last furnished ships? 

5. When did Columbus sail? When did he discover the first 
land? What islands were discovered on this voyage? What 
did Columbus and his men think these islands were? 

6. Tell about the other voyages of Columbus. When did he 
die? Did he think that he had found a new country? 

7. Who were the Cabots? What discoveries did they make! 
What country claimed the lands discovered by the Cabotst 

8. Who was Vespucius? Who suggested that the new country 
be called America? 

9. Find in your geography, (1) Iceland, (2) Greenland, (3) 
New England, (4) Mediterranean Sea, (5) San Salvador, 
(6) Cuba, (7) Haiti, (8) Labrador, (9) Brazil. 

10. Find in your geography, (1) Genoa, (2) Palos, (3) Bristol. 



COLONIZATION. 

Early Settlements. — When it became known that ships 
could safely cross the Atlantic, expeditions were fitted 
out in every maritime country of Europe to visit the 
land discovered by Columbus and the Cabots. Many 
of these early explorers were looking for a route to Asia ; 
some were interested only in searching for treasure, and 
a few came to examine the shores and wonders of the 
New World. Soon after the year 1500, however, the 
Portuguese, Spaniards and French began to establish 
colonies. The Portuguese and Spaniards were attracted 
to South America and what is now Mexico, while the 
French succeeded in making settlements along the St. 
Lawrence River and around the Great Lakes. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 17 

Spanish and French Attempts. — The first attempt to 
plant a colony in what is now the United States was 
made by the Spaniards in 1521, when Ponce de Leon 
(Pon-tha-da-la-on) tried to establish a settlement in 
Florida. In 1526, another Spaniard, named d'Ayllon 
(d'il-yon), brought a colony of 600 people, including 
some negro slaves, to a point on the James River, in 
Virginia, not far from the spot where the English after- 
wards built Jamestown, D'Ayllon's colony was soon 
destroyed by sickness, hunger and the Indians. In 
1564, some French Hugenots built a fort near the 
mouth of St. John's River, in Florida. The Spaniards 
already claimed Florida, however, and in 1565, Menen- 
dez (Ma-nen-deth) drove out the French and built the 
town of St. Augustine. This became a permanent 
Spanish settlement, and St. Augustine is today the old- 
est town in the United States. 

First English Attempts. — England was slow to fol- 
low up the discoveries of the Cabots. It was not until 
1578 that an effort was made to establish an English 
settlement in America. In that year Sir Humphrey 
Gilbert fitted out seven well-armed ships, and sailed to 
plant a colony in North America. The expedition was 
unsuccessful. Gilbert came again, in 1583, to make a 
settlement in Newfoundland. Of three ships, the larg- 
est was wrecked on the rocks, and the other two were 
turned homcAvard. On the way back his own ve.ssel 
sank in a storm and Gilbert was drowned. 

Sir Walter Raleigh.— In 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh 
was granted permission to found a colony in North 
America. Raleigh was an accomplished nobleman and 
a great favorite with Queen Elizabeth. He was anxious 
for England to have a share in the New World, and 
proposed that a settlement should be made somewhere 



18 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

along the coast between Florida and Canada. Two 
seamen, Philip Amidas and Arthur Barlow, were sent 
to look for a site for a colony. Landing on the coast 
of what is now North Carolina, they visited Roanoke 
Island. They found the natives friendly, saw much 
game, and admired the beautiful forests of cedar and 
pine. The report which these sailors carried back to 
England was so favorable that the queen decided to 
call the region Virginia in honor of herself. Thus we 
see that all of North America between Florida and Can- 
ada was at first called Virginia. 

Raleigh's First Colony. — In 1585, Raleigh sent over 
108 colonists to build a town on Roanoke Island. There 
were seven ships under the command of Sir Richard 
Grenville, and Ralph Lane was to be the governor. 
They landed late in June, and began to build a fort and 
some houses. 

The settlers were much pleased with the beautiful 
country with its wealth of fragrant wild flowers, stately 
forests, abundant game of all kinds, and b'rds, which 
for song and brilliant plumage, surpassed anything 
that they had ever seen. The natives Avere disposed 
to be friendly, and often brought presents of fish, game, 
vegetables and tobacco to the settlement. In return, 
the Englishmen gave them such things as hats, beads, 
pieces of tin, and trinkets of various kinds. These 
things, while of little value to the white man, greatly 
pleased the Indians, to whom they were new. Among 
the presents from the natives, tobacco, potatoes, In- 
dian corn and turkeys were new to the colonists, none 
of which had ever been seen in England. 

The friendly relationship between settlers and natives 
was not permitted to continue very long, hoAvever. 
In retaliation for ^he stealing of a silver cup by an 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIEGINIA 19 

Indian, Grenville set fire to one of the native villages 
and some fields of standing corn. This unkind and 
unnecessary act greatly enraged the Indians. Their 
friendly visits to the settlement ceased, and the colo- 
nists began to have great difficulty in getting fresh 
provisions. 

Failure of the Colony. — Grenville soon returned to 
England for more supplies, leaving Lane in charge. 
Instead of setting to work planting crops and prepar- 
ing for the winter, Lane and his men spent their time 
looking for gold. The supply of food was rapidly 
used up, and before the end of a year there had come 
to be much suffering and hunger in the colony. Con- 
ditions had become so bad that Avhen, in July, 1586, 
Sir Francis Drake touched at the island with his fleet 
from the West Indies, the starving colonists begged 
to be taken back to England. Drake, seeing their 
pitiable condition, agreed to take them on board, and 
the colony was abandoned. When, soon after this, 
Grenville arrived with a fresh lot of provis'ons, he 
did not know of the coming of Drake's ships, and was 
surprised to find the fort deserted. Believing the set- 
tlers to be somewhere in the adi'acent country, he left 
fifteen men for a guard and sailed away. 

Raleig'h's Second Colony. — S'r Walter Raleigh was 
too intent upon the colonization of Virginia to be dis- 
couraged by the failure of the colony under Lane. In 
1587, he sent a second expedition of three ships, 145 
men and seventeen women under John White as gov- 
ernor. It had been decided, however, to select a new 
site for the colony. White Avas told to stop at Roanoke 
Island only long enough to get the, men left there by 
Grenville. After this the settlers were to continue to 



20 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

some suitable point on the shores of the Chesapeake 
Bay, and there build a town to be called Raleigh. 

When they arrived at Roanoke Island the colonists 
were put ashore and two of the ships returned to Eng- 
land. Thus deserted, with only one small vessel, they 
were compelled to remain there. It was found that the 
fifteen men left by Grenville had been massacred, and 
the Indians were very unfriendly. Under these gloomy 
circumstances the men began to repair the fort and 
build new homes in preparation for the winter. 

The Colony Destroyed.— One of the Avomen in the col- 
ony was Governor White's daughter Eleanor, the wife 
of Ananias Dare, and on August 18, 1587, about a 
month after they reached Roanoke Island, Virginia 
Dare Avas born. This was the first child born of Eng- 
lish parents in America, and the little girl was named 
Virginia in honor of the country in which her parents 
had come to make their home. When his little grand- 
child was barely ten days old, White returned to Eng- 
land for a new supply of provisions. Nothing is known 
of what took place in the colony during his absence. 
War between England and Spain prevented his retui-ii 
to Roanoke Island for nearly four years. 

When he came again, in 1591, not one of those whom 
he had left could be found. In the deserted fort grass 
was growing, while under some nearby trees five chests, 
evidently buried there by the colonists, had been dug 
up and robbed. Some books and pictures lay scattered 
about, and in the bark of a large tree was cut the word 
Croatan, the name of a neighboring island. White was 
very anxious to visit this island to see if the colonists 
might not have gone there, for he wanted to see his 
friends and the little girl, Virginia Dare. But the ship 
was caueht in a storm on the way, and after being 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 21 

tossed about for several days the captaiu insisted on 
going back to England. White was compelled to give 
up the search for his loved ones, and the colonists were 
never heard of again. What became of them will prob- 
ably forever remain a mystery. 

Last Days of Raleigh. — Much distressed at the sad 
fate of his second colony, Raleigh sent several expedi- 
tions in the hope of getting news of the settlers. He 
was unable, however, to send out another colony. The 
two attempts at planting a settlement in Virginia had 
cost him a great deal, and the queen, to whom he ap- 
plied for assistance, was unwilling to furnish any 
money. Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, and King James 
I., the next ruler of England, did not like Raleigh. 
James had Sir Walter cast into prison on a false charge 
of treason, and for twelve years kept him a prisoner in 
the Tower of London. He was put to death by the 
king's order in 1618. 



QUESTIONS 

Where did the Portuguese make settlements? The Span- 
iards? The French? 

Tell about some Spanish and French attempts that failed. 
Who first tried to make a settlement in what is now Vir- 
ginia? What is the oldest town in the United States? 
Who was the first Englishman that tried to make a settle- 
ment in North America? When? Tell about his second 
expedition. 

Where did Sir Walter Raleigh propose to establish a col- 
ony? Whom did he send to look for a site? Why was 
the country called Virginia? 

Tell about the first colony on Roanoke Island. What were 
some of the things brought by the Indians that were new 
to the Englishmen? 

Why did these colonists return to England? Tell about 
the coming of Grenville. 

Where did Raleigh wish to establish the second colony? 
What did the colonists find at Roanoke Island? Who was 
governor? 



22 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

8. Who was Virginia Dare? What dirl governor White find 
when he returned to Roanoke Island? Uow long had he 
b^en a'vay"? 

9. What kept Ealeigh from sending out a third colony? Tell 
about his last days. 

10. Find in vour geography. (1) Soula America, (2) Mexico, 
('A) St. Lawrence River, ( ') llorida, (o) St. Augustine, 
(G) James River, (7) Newfoundland, (8) Roanoke Island. 



THE NATIVES. 

The Indians. — The native inhabitants of North and 
South America were first called Indians hy Columbus, 
because he thought that he had reached either India or 
the East indies. From what copntry these people came, 
how they got here, or how long they had been here when 
America was discovered, is not known. Having no 
written language, they kept no record of their ancestors, 
and their traditions are not reliable. Some people believe 
that they at one time lived in As'a, and that when they 
first ca?ue to America, probably thousands of years 
before the coming of Columbus, they were civilized. 
This bel'ef is supported by the fact that from Indian 
mounds found in several parts of the country have been 
dug vases, bricks and other articles that were not in 
use among the natives at the time of discovery. 

Divisions, Tribes, Clans.— The Indians were all of one 
race, but some were much more civilized than others. 
They were of three classes, savage, barbarous and half- 
civilized. Those living between the Rocky Mountains 
and the Atlantic Ocean were of the barbarous class, and 
consisted of three large divisions, Maskokis, Algonquins 
and Iroquois. Each of these divisions was composed of 
several trilies, and each tribe was made up of a number 
of clans. The clan consisted of those who Avere related 
to one another, and if there were not too many, they 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



23 



lived together in one house; otherwise they occupied 
several houses grouped together. 

Indians in Virginia. — The Indians who lived in what 
is now Virginia were Algonquins. There were about 
10,000 within a radius of one hundred miles of the 
present site of Rich- 
mond when the English 
first began to settle 
here.* They were di- 
vided into nearly fifty 
clans, of which more 
than thirty belonged to 
one powerful tribe call- 
ed the PoAvhatans. The 
Powhatans occupied the 
country east of Rich- 
mond, and it was with 
this tribe that the early 
settlers came into con- 
tact. The other clans 
were members of sever- 
al smaller tribes dwell- 
ing in the country to 
the west and south of 
RifbiTicnd. 

Appearance and Dress. 
nearly the color of cinnamon, high cheek bones, piercing 
black eyes, straight, coarse black hair, and little or no 
-beard. The women wore their hair long, allowing it to 
hang loose over their shoulders, while the men cut theirs 
short on one side. On the top of their heads they kept 
a lo^k or ridge of ha^r which was known as the scnlp- 




SHOWING INDl.^iN DKESS 



-These Indians had skins 



*.At the prfFent time tlie Indian population of Virginia is about 500. 
Those are rle^c irl-rits of the Painunkey clan and live on a small reser- 
vation in Kins William County. 



24 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIEGINIA 

lock. The men were usually tall, straight and well-pro- 
portioned, with a graceful carriage and dignified bear- 
ing that gave them a manly, handsome appearance. 
Their clothing consisted for the most part of the skins 
of wild animals. Some wore mantles decorated with 
beads and turkey feathers, which were dyed red or 
blue, and all were fond of ornaments and gay colors. 
The women tattooed their bodies Avith pictures of 
beasts and snakes, and both men and women painted 
their faces and shoulders red and wore various kinds 
of ear ornaments. Instead of hats, their headdress 
consisted of feathei-s or the wings of birds. 

Occupations and Weapons. — The men considered it 
undignified to engage in any sort of work. They spent 
their time hunting, fishing, trapping and fighting, the 
work being done by women. The women, called squaws, 
not only took care of the children and did the cooking, 
but they attended to planting and gathering the crops, 
provided wood for the fires, did the moving, made 
baskets, tanned the skins of wild animals, and even 
cleared* the ground for their little patches of corn and 
vegetables. 

The weapons of the Indians, used in both fighting 
and hunting, w^ere the bow and arrow, tomahawk, 
club, stone knife and wooden spear. Their boats, called 
canoes, were sometimes made of bark, but more fre- 
quently of the trunks of long, straight trees, which 
were hollowed out and otherwise gotten into the proper 
shape by slow burning and such cutting as could be 
done with their crude knives and hatchets. These canoes, 
which were used a great deal by the Indians in Virginia, 
were often long enough to accommodate thirty or forty 
men. 



SCHOOL IlhSTORY OF VIRGINIA 25 

Houses and Agriculture. — The Indians lived in vil- 
lages, which were usually situated near the banks of 
some stream where fishing and hunting were good. The 
houses, called wigwams, were little more than rough 
cabins, consisting of poles driven into the ground and 
bound together at the top by means of bent branches 
of trees. They were covered with reeds, bark or skins, 
small openings being left at the top for the escape of 
smoke. Some of the houses were nearly one hundred 
feet long, and these would be divided into rooms with a 
passageway running through the middle and connect- 
ing with a door at each end. Four families could 
occupy one room, and as many as fifty families would 
sometimes live in one house. 

Near each village there would be a piece of ground on 
which the trees had been killed by burning to destroy 
the shade, and this Avould be used for the cultivation of 
such crops as Indian corn, pumpkins, tobacco, potatoes, 
beans and sunflowers. The Indians had dogs, but knew 
nothing of such animals as horses, cows, sheep, goats and 
hogs. For money, they used a string of beads or sea- 
shells, called "wampum." * 

Hunting and Warfare. — As we have seen, the men 
spent most of their time fishing, hunting and fighting. 
They knew how to spear fish through the ice, and could 
use the bow and arrow with great skill. The arrows 
were winged with turkey feathers and tipped with a 
piece of hard, sharp stone, called flint. Their meat 
consisted entirely of fish and the flesh of wild animals. 
The forests abounded in deer, wild turkeys and other 
game, and these could be killed with little difficulty. 

Fighting was their chief business, however, for the 
different tribes were nearl}^ always at warfare. A young 
man was not considered fit to associate with the warriors, 



26 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

or braves, as they were sometimes called, until he had 
shown his ability to kill and scalp his enemies, it being 
the pride of every warrior to have as many scalps as 
possible hanging at his belt. The club, tomahawk and 
spear were used in fighting at close range. The Indians 
never fought in open battle, but would use all sorts of 
strategy in attacking their enemies. They always tried 
to get as close to their victims as possible before 
letting it be known that they w^ere going to make an 
attack. Their prisoners were usually tortured by slow 
burning or by being made to run the gauntlet, before 
being put to death. Sometimes, if a prisoner showed 
unusual bravery and self-control under torture, he 
would be allowed to return to his people or be adopted 
into the tribe. The Indians were brave, daring and 
self-controlled, and admired these (jualities in their 
enemies. 

Education and Character. — The Indians allowed noth- 
ing to escape tlieir notice. Life in the forest taught them 
many things about the habits of the birds and wild 
animals, and about the signs of the weather. They 
knew nothing of books, however, and had no written 
language. They kept count of the years by winters. 
Besides liaskets, they knew how to make mats and maple- 
sugar. Trained from infancy in out-of-door life and 
endurance, the men could stand fatigue, hunger and 
cold far better than the white man. Their mode of liv- 
ing and the constant warfare in which they were en- 
gaged made them cruel and revengeful and they were 
extremely treacherous, but they would remember a 
kindness. 

Religion and Government. — Like all other peoples, 
whether civilized or barbarous, the Indians had some 
kind of religion. They worshipped their dead ancestors. 



SCHOOL niSTOET OF VIRGINIA 27 

as well as the Sun, Winds and Lightning. They believed 
in a great Good Spirit, but thought that all of their 
troubles were sent by another great evil spirit, and it 
was th's cv'l spirit that they sought to appease in their 
worship. It was thought that the Good Spirit would not 
do them harm, and, therefore, that it was unnecessary 
to pray to him. 

The Indians had little or no government. There were 
no social classes among them. The houses and food 
belongt'tl to the clan, and only weapons and ornaments 
were regarded as private property. Each clan elected 
two rulers, called sachems, one for peace, the other for 
war, and they could be removed from office for cowardice 
or bad conduct at any time. The tribe had its own head 
war-chief, and was governed by a council of the sachems 
of the clans of which it was composed. Every important 
matter was decided by this council. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Whv wore the natives called Indians? What is known of 
\ho-v cpily history? 

2. What wore the three main rla??es of Indians? Where did 
fy^e I'alff'iviii/ed Indian"^ live? What was the difference 
botwocn a tribe and a clan? 

3. What division of Indians lived in A^'irginia? What princi- 
pal tiilie? How many clans belontjeil to this tribe? 

4. Ti^ll a!)ont the appearance and dre.<s of the Indians. 

5. Whit were the occupations of (1) the men, (2) the women? 
What were their weapons? 

6. Descrilic their houses. What crops did they raise? 

7. Describe the Indian manner of fighting. IIow did they 
treat their prisoners? 

8. To!! something about their education and character. 

9. What were their ideas about religion? What sort of gov- 
ernment <lid they have? 

10. Find on the map, (1) Richmond, (2) all counties within 
one hundred miles of Richmond. 



28 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 



VIRGINIA AS A COLONY. 

1607-1776. 
UNDER THE LONDON COMPANY. 

RULER IN ENGLAND: GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA: 

King James I. (1603-1625). Thomas West, Lord Delaware 

(1609-1619).* 
PRESIDENT OF COUNCIL: Thomas Dale (High Marshal, 

Edward Wingfield (1607). 1611-1616). 

John Ratcliffe (1607-1608). George Yeardley (Lieutenant- 

John Smith (1608-1609). Governor, 1616-1617). 

George Percy (1609). Samuel Argall (Lieutenant- 

Governor, 1617-1619). 
George Yeardley (1619-1621). 
Francis Wyatt (1621-1626). 



THE FOUNDING OP JAMESTOWN. 

Interest in Virginia.— We have seen why Sir Walter 
Raleigh could not continue his efforts to plant a colony 
in Virginia. War between England and Spain for sev- 
eral years kept others from taking an interest in the 
matter. When this war was at an end, however, the 
people of England began to turn their attention to Vir- 
ginia again. In 1603, Bartholomew Gilbert, son of Sir 
Humphrey Gilbert, visited the shores of the Chesapeake 
Bay, where he and several of his companions were slain 
by the Indians. Other daring explorers made voyages 
to the new country, and maps and stories describing 
the wonders of Virginia began to be published and read 
in England. This led to a new interest in colonization. 

*Lord Delaware resided in England from 1611 to 1619, being repre- 
sented in Virginia by Dale, Yeardley and Argall. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 29 

The London Company. — King James was anxious for 
the establishment of an English colony before the 
Spaniards and French should begin to settle in Vir- 
ginia. Bartholomew Gosnold succeeded in interesting 
a number of men in a plan for a colony. In 1606, there- 
fore, two companies were formed, one known as the 
London Company, the other as the Plymouth Company, 
and Virginia was divided between them. To the Lon- 
don Company — in which Ave are most interested — the 
king gave all of Virginia between the southern border 
of the present state of North Carolina and the mouth 
of the Potomac River. This company was made up of 
merchants and other wealthy and influential men living 
in or near London. These men believed that a colony 
in Virginia would be a good business investment. 

The Charter. — The king had prepared for the com- 
pany a paper called a charter. This contained the 
names of the members, gave the boundaries of the ter- 
ritory, and told how the colonists were to be governed. 
The First Charter provided that the management of the 
colony should be in the hands of a council of thirteen 
men appointed by the king. This council, whose mem- 
bers lived in England, was to appoint another council 
of men in Virginia, which in turn should elect every 
year one of its members as president. The names of 
those composing the second council Avere put in a seal- 
ed box, Avith instructions that it Avas not to be opened 
until the colonists reached Virginia. 

The Colonists Sail. — The London Company had little 
trouble in getting men to go to Virginia, especially 
among those who had no regular work at home. There 
were many in England eager to see the ncAV country. 
Resides, the company not only offered free transporta- 
tion, but promised 100 acres of land to every man who 



30 SCHOOL EISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 

would remain in the colony five years. By December 
19, 1606, everything was ready, and the expedition Avas 
placed in command of Captain Christopher Newport, 
one of the best officers of the English navy. There 
were three ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Dis- 
covcry, and these carried 105 men in all, of whom forty- 
five were classed as "gentlemen," the others being 
laborers, mechanics and adventurers. 

They Reach Virg'inia. — The expedition had a long 
and tedious voyage across the Atlanlic. Unfavorable 
winds kept the ships for six weeks within sight of Eng- 
land. Captain Newport soon found that he had a very 
unruly and quarrelsome lot of men to deal with, and 
many were the complaints with which he had to con- 
tend. After a stop of three weeks in the West Indies, 
he headed his course northward, in the direction of 
Roanoke Island. Severe storms were met Avith off the 
Carolina coast, and complaints among the colonists be- 
came even more threatening than before. Weary of 
the difficulties of such a voyage, Newport had begun 
to think of turning back to England, when a violent 
gale that lasted all night drove the ships to the en- 
trance of the Chesapeake Bay. The following morning, 
April 26, 1607, brought them to a sandy point of land, 
and here thirty men went ashore to examine the coun- 
try. Finding the Indians unfriendly and the place 
unfit for a settlement, the colonists decided to explore 
further. 

To the point at which they had landed, was given the 
name Cape Henry, while that on the northern shore op- 
posite was later called Cape Charles, both after the 
king's sons, Henry and Charles. Naming the next 
point at Avhich they touched Point Comfort, they pro- 
ceeded up the broad and beautifal river, called by the 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 31 

Indians the Powhatan. This the colonists named the 
James, in honor of the king. The month of May was 
now beginning, the most beautiful season of the year 
in this part of Virginia. The banks of the James, lined 
on both sides with stately forests and a dense growth 
of vines and blossoming wild flowers, could not have 
been more attractive and inviting than to these weary, 
sea-tossed people. 

Beginning- of Jamestown. — On May 13, 1607, the 
colonists came to a small peninsula on the northern bank 
of the river, about thirty-five miles from its mouth, and 
here they decided to land and build a town. This was 
the beginning of Jamestown, at first called Fort James, 
the first permanent English settlement in America and 
the real beginning of the present state of Virginia. The 
fort, begun on the day after they landed, was built in 
the shape of a triangle, and a cannon was mounted at 
each corner. The first houses were only rude sheds or 
cabins built of logs and covered with a thatch of marsh 
grass, but they gave a welcome shelter to the colonists 
after their long voyage and many trying experiences. 
A storehouse was also built for housing the provisions 
and arms, and a place for religious services was pro- 
vided by nailing a board between two trees for a read- 
ing-desk and stretching above it an awning of canvas. 

Rev. Robert Hunt, a minister of the Ep'scopal Church, 
which the king had said in the charter was to be the 
only church in Virginia, conducted service every day 
and preached two sermons each Sunday. The men were 
required to work for the London Company; evpry'hing 
was held in common, and all were fed and clothed out 
of the general storehouse. The peninsula, which has 
since become an island,' was connected with the main- 
land bv a narrow neck of bare sand. It contained 



32 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

about 5,000 acres, and was easily fortified. Because the 
eastern side was low and marshy. Jamestown was built 
on the western side. 

First Council and President. — The box containing 
the names of the members of the Council is said io 
have been opened soon after the colonists left Cape 
Henry. The names were found to be John Martin, 
George Kendall, Bartholomew Gosnold, Christopher 
Newport, John Smith. Edward Wingfield and John 
Ratcliffe. Wingfield was chosen president. On the 
way from England there had been trouble between 
Wingfield and Smith. Wingfield accused Smith of try- 
ing to stir up a mutiny among the sailors, and had him 
arrested and kept a prisoner until they reached James- 
town. Thus it happened that Smith was not at first 
given a seat in the Council. 

Smith and Newport Explore. — Indians were to be 
seen almost every day in the forests around James- 
town, but the settlers were at first not disturbed by 
them. They were able to work on the fort and houses, 
clear some land and plant their crops of wheat, melons, 
potatoes and pumpkins without danger. 

Newport and Smith, with twenty others, went to dis- 
cover the head of the river. Frequently passing Indian 
villages as they went along, they came after six days to 
a town of twelve houses situated on a hill and sur- 
rounded by cornfields. This was near the present site 
of Richmond, and here they met Powhatan, the chief of 
the great tribe of Virginia Indians. The explorers 
were received kindly by the chief and his braves and 
given the best of Indian entertainment. But it was 
plainly to be seen that the Indians did not like the com- 
ing of the Englishmen to Virginia, because they feared 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 33 

that they would have to give up much of their hunting 
grounds. 

Powhatan. — Many of the Indian clans in Virginia be- 
longed, as we have seen, to one great tribe, called the 
Powhatans. It w^as of this tribe that Powhatan was 
chief when the colonists came. He was at this time 
about sixty years old, at the height of his power and 
greatly feared by his enemies. He is said to have been 
brave, energetic and much respected and honored by 
his warriors. His principal village was at Werowoco- 
moco, on the York River, about fifteen miles north of 
Jamestown, and there the colonists in after years had 
many dealings with him. 

Indians Attack Jamestown.^ — Newport and his party, 
unable to get their boat over the falls near Richmond, 
returned to Jamestown early in June. They were met 
with the news that a band of 200 Indians had attacked 
the settlement, killing a boy and wounding seventeen 
men before being driven off. This was the beginning 
of trouble with the natives, and steps were at once 
taken to provide better protection. A palisade was 
built, more guns were put in place, and the men were 
armed and drilled. 

After several weeks, Newport returned with the three 
ships to England for another supply of colonists, leav- 
ing one small boat with the inhabitants of Jamestown. 
A matter of importance about this time was the trial 
and acquittal of Smith, who had demanded that he be 
given a hearing on the charges made against him by 
Wingfield. Following his acquittal, he was allowed to 
take his place in the Council, and Avas soon to render 
valuable service to the colony. 

Famine and Sickness. — Shortly after Newport's de- 
parture, famine and sickness began to threaten the ex- 



34 SCHOOL HISTORY OF FIBGINIA 

istence of the colony. The colonists had for food only 
what remained of the supplies brought from England 
and such fish and game as the river and surrounding 
forest afforded. With the Indians hostile, there was no 
means of trading with them for provisions. The labor 
of felling trees, building the fort and houses, and get- 
ting the ground ready for crops was more than many of 
the men were used to. They might have borne this, had 
they been properly fed; but each man's rations for an 
entire day was only a half-pint of stale wheat or barley 
boiled in water. 

While the colonists were in this weakened condition, 
and the heat of the summer at its worst, an epidemic 
of malarial fever broke out, caused by the swampy 
nature of the little peninsula. Their misery and suf- 
fering now became many times worse than before, and 
all work of every kind had to be stopped. By the end 
of September more than half of .the original 105, includ- 
ing Captain Gosnold, Avere dead. Referring to their 
experiences, one of the survivors afterwards wrote: 
"There were never Englishmen left in a foreign country 
in such misery as we were in this newly-discovered Vir- 
ginia. ' ' 

With the coming of frost, however, the fever began 
to disappear. Many deer and wild fowl were shot, 
oysters and fish became plentiful, and Smith forced the 
Indians to sell some of their corn and other provisions. 
Thereafter conditions at Jamestown improved rapidly. 

Wingfield Removed. — No sooner had the fever and 
famine disappeared, however, than the unfriendly feel- 
ing between Wingfield and Smith broke out again. 
Both had friends in the colony, and these were always 
ready to take sides in the controversy. For one thing, 
it was charged that Wingfield had kept back for him- 



SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 35 

self and some of his friends the best of the provisions 
during the famine. In addition to this, it was found 
that he had planned to load the only boat remaining at 
Jamestown with everything of value that he could get 
hold of, and, taking with him those men that were willing 
to engage in such rascality, abandon the colony. In 
these and other ways he had shown himself unfit to 
be president; so the Council removed him, electing 
John Ratcliffe in his place. During the early part of 
Ratcliffe's term as president, George Kendall, a member 
of the Council, was convicted of a scheme of mutiny 
and put to death. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Who vifited Virginia in 1603? What caused a new interest 
in colonization? 

2. What was the London Company? What territory was 
^rnnted to this company? 

3. What kind of government was provided for in the First 
Charter? 

4. Tell ahout the expedition nnder Captain Newport. What 
were the names of his ships? 

5. Where did the colonists first land? To what points did 
they give names? 

6. When did they reach Jamestown? Tell about the begin- 
ning of .Tamestown. 

7. Who were the members of the first Council? Who was 
made president? 

8. Tell of the visit of Sm'-th and Newport to Powhatan. What 
can you tell about Powhatan? 

9. What happened at Jamestown while Smith and Newport 
were away? 

10. Describe conditions at Jamestown during the summer of 
1607. 

11. Why was Wingfield removed from the presidency? Who 
succeeded him? 

12. Find on the map, (1) Cape Henry, (2) Cape Charles, (3) 
Old Point, (4) Jamestown, (5) Richmond, (6) York River. 



36 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH. 

Smith's Early Life. — One of the things which the 
colonists were told to do when they reached Virginia 
was to try to find the "South Sea," or Pacific Ocean. 
This led to several exploring expeditions, in which 
Captain John Smith was always the leader, and on 
which the explorers had many exciting and often dan- 
gerous experiences. Being fond of adventure, nothing 
could have pleased Smith better than to engage in this 
kind of work. Before coming to Jamestown, he had 
traveled through Europe, and in his history of his life 
he tells us many interesting things about his daring 
deeds and narrow escapes. 

Born in Lincolnshire, England, in 1579, he ran away 
from home when fifteen j^ears old and fought with the 
Dutch against the Spaniards in Flanders. A few years 
later he enlisted with the Germans against the Turks, 
and on one occasion slew three Turks in a tournament. 
In a later battle, being wounded, he was captured by 
the Turks and sold a« a slave at Constantinople. For 
a time he was treated kindly ; but falling into the hands 
of a very cruel master, he was made to wear an iron 
collar around his neck, was given hardly any clothes, 
and was often beaten. And so, one day, when he had 
been set to threshing wheat with a flail, his master 
coming in and beginning to abuse him. Smith knocked 
him down and beat out his brains with his threshing 
stick. Then quickly putting on the dead man's clothes, 
he made his escape into Russia. For several weeks he 
wandered from place to place, finally reaching his friends 
in Germany. From Germany he went to France, then 
to Spain, and later to Morocco, returning to England 



SCHOOL EISTORY OF VJKGINIA 



37 



only a short time before the expedition set out to Vir- 
ginia. He had heard much of the New World, and gladly 
took advantage of the opportunity to become a member 
of Newport's expedition. 

Smith Explores. — It was oonorally believod bvthe Eng- 
lish at this time r 
that the continent 
of North America 
was not more than 
one or two hun- 
dred miles wide. 
and that the Pafili*- 
Ocean could easil.\ 
he reached by sail 
ing up one of 1]ir 
rivers. Having 
found it impossible 
to proceed beyond 
the Falls of the 
James, Smith now 
took a small party 
of men, including 
two Indian guides, 
and started up the 
Chickahominy Riv- 
er, a small stream 
emptying into the 
James a few miles 
above Jamestown. He had not gone far, however, when 
it was found necessary to leave the boat and use a 
canoe, the river being in many places obstructed by 
fallen trees and undergrowth. Leaving his companions 
to guard the boat, he set out in a canoe with two Eng- 
lishmen and the two Indians, and had gone as far as 




CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH 



38 SCHOOL EISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

White Oak Swamp, when he was suddenly attacked by 
several hundred Indians under Opeehaucanough, the 
brother of Powhatan. The two Engl'shmen were slain, 
and after a brave resistance, in which he killed several 
Indians Avith his pistol and was driven into a swamp up 
to his neck in water, he was captured. 

Made a Prisoner. — Without hope of making his escape, 
the idea occurred to Smith that he might win the favor 
of the Indians by showing them his pocket compass. They 
were much interested in the wonderful little instrument 
with the needle that always pointed in the same direction, 
and the glass through which they could see the needle 
without touching it, puzzled them greatly, for they knew 
nothing of glass. Smith also told them many wonderful 
things about the stars, and this, too, interested them. 
There being a ditference of opinion among them as to 
what should be done with him, he was led away to Ope- 
ehaucanough 's village. There a great feast was pre- 
pared and the Indians engaged in their war-dance, 
making a general frolic of the occasion. 

Taken Before Powhatan. — After this they carried 
their prisoner about the country, exhibiting him in 
several villages, and finally brought him before their 
great chief, Powhatan, who was at this time at Werowo- 
comoco. The old chief, seated on a bench in front 
of the fire, received Smith in his wigwam, a house nearly 
one hundred feet long. A number of young squaws, 
wearing beads about their necks and with their faces 
and shoulders painted red, stood around the walls, and 
in front of them, in full war paint, were ranged the war- 
riors. A consultation was soon held and it was decided 
that the prisoner should be put to death. Two large 
stones were brought and placed in front of Powhatan, 
and several warriors seized Smith and placed his head on 



SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIBGINIA 39 

the stones, while two other warriors stood ready to beat 
out his brains with clubs. 

Rescued by Pocahontas. — But before the warriors had 
time to strike, Pocahontas,* the favorite daughter of 
Powhatan, a young girl only thirteen years old, moved 
with pity for the condemned man, rushed up and laid her 
head upon his to shield it from the clubs of the execu- 
tioners. She then begged her father to release Smith, de- 
claring that she would sacrifice her life, if necessary, to 
save him. Her pleadings so influenced the old chief 
that he decided to let him go. This was followed by 
Smith 's adoption into the tribe, and for two da.ys he was 
treated with great honor and ceremony, being now 
regarded as a friend instead of an enemy. And so, 
promising to send Powhatan two cannon and a grind- 
stone, he was permitted to return to Jamestown. 

First Supply of Colonists. — When Smith reached 
Jamestown the population had dwindled to only thirty- 
eight, but early in January Captain Newport arrived 
with fifty colonists from England, and two weeks later 
Francis Nelson brought seventy more, together with a 
good supply of provisions. There was not enough food 
to last so many people very long, however, and Smith 
took Captain Newport and paid a visit to Powhatan for 
the purpose of getting some corn. They were received 
with great rejoicing by the Indians, who now called 
Smith brother, because he had been adopted into the 
tribe by the chief, and a big feast, games of various kinds, 
dancing, and other forms of entertainment were pro- 
vided for the visitors. Powhatan acted with great 
dignity in his dealings with the white men, but by 
shrewd trading. Smith persuaded him to sell 700 bushels 
of corn in exchange for about two pounds of blue glass 
beads. 

*Spe Appendix A. 



40 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Fire at Jamestown. — This supply of corn might have 
lasted the colonists throughout the winter, but, very 
soon after Smith and Newport returned to Jamestown, 
a fire broke out which destroyed not only a large part of 
the corn, but many of the cabins, some arms, bedding, 
and other articles. This resulted in much suffering from 
cold and hunger, for, instead of taking Smith's advice 
and rebuilding their houses at once, many of the men 
spent their time searching for gold in some yellow dirt 
found near the settlement, and neglected their regular 
occupations. It was some time before they were con- 
vinced that the dirt was worthless, and not until then 
could they be persuaded to return to their work. James- 
town was then rebuilt on a larger scale and better than 
before; more land was cleared, and crops were planted 
for the sTtmmer. 

Smith Explores Chesapeake Bay. — Newport and 
Nelson being now ready to return to England, one of 
the ships was loaded with the yellow dirt supposed to 
contain gold and another with valuable cedar timber. 
Taking with them former president Wingfield, they were 
accompanied as far as Cape Henry by Smith and a party 
of fourteen men in two open boats. This was the begin- 
ning of Smith's third and longest exploring expedition, 
on which he was absent from the colony from June until 
September and traveled nearly three thousand miles. 
First visiting the Eastern Shore in the neighborhood of 
Cape Charles, they discovered an island, since known 
as Smith's Island, and had some dealings with the 
Indians. The party continued up the coast of the 
present counties of Northampton and Accomac to the 
mouth of the Pocomoke River. Here they were over- 
taken by a severe storm, and the boats were driven 
across the Chesapeake Bay to a point near the mouth 
of the Potomac River. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 41 

There now began to be much complaint among his 
men, many of whom were sick, and they begged to be 
taken back to Jamestown. Smith agreed, and, returning 
to the settlement, took on a new crew and continued his 
expedition. Following this time the western shore, he 
explored the Potomac River and continued to the mouth 
of the Susquehanna River, near the head of the bay, 
meeting with many new and strange Indian tribes and 
having some interesting and valuable experiences. By 
giving them beads and other trinkets of little value, 
Smith seldom failed to win the friendship of these In- 
dians and had little trouble in getting from them all 
the provisions he needed. He afterwards made a map 
of the country he had visited. This was not only the 
first map of Virginia ever published, but a very good 
one considering the difficulties under which Smith 
made his explorations. 

Smith Succeeds Ratcliffe. — During his absence there 
had been bad management at Jamestown. Ratcliffe was 
removed from the presidency, and two days after his 
return the Council met and elected Smith pres'dent. 
This was a public acknowledgement of his ability and 
valuable services to the colony. As he was not the sort of 
man who could live in idleness and see things around 
him neglected, the new president at once set to work 
to improve cbnditions in the settlement. lie repaired 
the church and storehouse ; built a new fort ; secured 
from the Indians, who had harvested big crops, a supply 
of corn for the winter, and made some regulations for 
the management of the affairs of the town; so that the 
people were soon better provided for than they had 
been since their arrival in Virginia. 

Second Supply of Colonists. — As fall was setting in. 
Captain Newport again came from England, bring- 



42 SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 

ing with him this time seventy colonists, including two 
women, Mrs. Forest and her maid, Anne Burrus, who 
were the first women to come to eTamestown. The popu- 
lation was thus increased to about two hundred, some 
of the men in the colony having died during the sum- 
mer. Newport also brought a new lot of supplies and 
many presents for Powhatan, among the latter being a 
crown, a scarlet cloak, a bedstead, and- other furniture. 
He had been told when he left England that he was 
not to return until he had done one of three things — 
find the way to the Pacific Ocean, locate one of the lost 
colonists of Roanoke Island, or discover a lump of gold. 
And so, having rashly promised to do one of these 
things, he thoyght that it would be best to try to get 
the lump of gold, for he believed that the Indians knew 
where plenty of this metal could be found, and that his 
undertaking would be easy if he could only persuade 
Powhatan to assist him ; this is why he took the trouble 
to bring so many valuable presents to the old chief. 



-QUESTIOXS. 

\. Tell about the early life of Captain John Smith. 

2. Tell about Smith's expedition up the Chiekahominy. Describe 
his capture. 

3. How did he try to win the favor of Opechancanouerh? 

4. Give an account of his experience after being taken before 
Powhatan. 

5. Who saved his life? What took place after this? 

6. How was Smith received on his next vi^it to Powhatan? 

7. What hai)[iened at Jamestown about this time? 

8. Give an account of Smith's exploration of the Chesapeake 
Bay. 

9. What did Smith do to improve conditions in the colony after 
he became president of the Council? 

10. What was the population of Jamestown after the coming 
of the second supply of colonists? Why did Newport bring 
presents to Powhatan? 

11. Find on the map, (1) Chickahominy River, (2) Pocomoke 
River, (3) Potomac Elver. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 43 

RELATIONS WITH THE INDIANS. 

Reasons for Keeping the Indians Friendly. — As the 

colonists began to build better houses and strengthen 
their fort, and since Newport had twice brought more 
colonists without taking many away, the Indians came 
to realize that the Englishmen intended to stay in Vir- 
ginia. At first they were in doubt about this, for Smith, 
on his first visit to Werowocomoco, not thinking it safe 
to tell Powhatan the- real intention of the settlers, had 
led the chief to believe that when Newport next came 
to Jamestown he would take all of them back. 

Now, the men in the colony were not good farmers, 
the majority of them being unused and unwilling to 
work with their hands. They had come to Virginia 
for adventure or to look for gold, not to work ; and the 
result was that the crops raised in the colony amounted 
to very little. The supplies sent from England not be- 
ing sufficient to last from one expedition to another, 
Smith found it necessary to depend largely upon the 
Indians for corn, meat and vegetables, and it was for 
this reason, first of all, that he wanted to keep on good 
terms with them. He was not so much afraid of an 
attack on Jamestown as he was that Powhatan, refus- 
ing to sell them corn, would try to destroy the colony 
by starvation. He had little faith in the promises of 
the chief, although at his adoption into the tribe it had 
been declared by the Indians that he would always be 
treated as a friend and brother. 

A Change Comes over the Indians. — During the early 
part of the winter of 1608 Pocahontas often came to 
Jamestown, bringing presents of corn, venison, and 
other supplies. But toward Christmas a change came 
over the Indians: the visits of Pocahontas ceased, and 
when asked for corn they refused to furnish it. de- 



44 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIEGINIA 

dining in trade even the blue beads of which they 
had formerly been so fond. Smith knew that they had 
plenty of corn, for the}^ had raised big crops the summer 
before, and he was determined to make them trade if 
they would not trade of their own accord. The store- 
houses at Jamestown were almost empty and the situation 
was serious, the colonists having for food only a little 
cornbread and water each day. 

Smith Again Visits Powhatan. — As it happened, Pow- 
hatan had sent to Smith for some men to aid him in 
building a house at Werowocomoco, and hoping to 
make good use of this opportunity to get provisions, he 
let him have fourteen of his best workmen, including 
four Germans recently brought by Newport. With 
another party of twenty-seven men in two boats, Smith 
followed, going by Old Point. There he was told by 
some friendly Indians that Pow^hatan was planning 
treachery. As he approached the York River, it was 
found that the Indians were less friendly. At Werowo- 
comoco, it being January and very cold, the river was 
frozen nearly half a mile from shore ; so that the men 
had to land by ramming the ice with one of the boats 
until a point was reached where it was thick enough 
for them to walk on it. 

On reaching the shore, they took possession of the 
nearest wigwams, and sent to Powhatan for food. The 
following day the old chief came to see Smith : he was 
unfriendly, and wanted to know why the Englishmen 
had come without being invited. He at first denied that 
he had any corn, but later admitted that he could get 
forty baskets, which he would trade for a sword a basket, 
reminding Smith that Newport had given him swords, 
clothes, copper and furniture. The beads, for which the 
Englishmen had formerly been able to get all the corn 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 45 

they Deeded, were ignored by the chief, who now wanted 
swords and more costly articles in trade. 

After much argument, Powhatan agreed that if the 
Englishmen would leave their arms on the boats, he 
would let them have, after two days, all the corn they 
could carry away. But Smith objected to this arrange- 
ment, believing that a trap was being laid for him and 
his men. He knew that it w^ould not do to let the 
Indians think that their corn was absolutely necessary 
to the colonists, and pretended that if they would not 
trade fairly and as friends, he would do without the 
corn. This had a good effect, and the corn was soon 
brought and loaded on the boats, the Englishmen stand- 
ing Mntli their guns ready in case there should be a 
sudden attack by the Indians. 

Smith Warned by Pocahontas. — While the loading 
was going on the tide was running out, so that the boats 
were stranded and could not be moved until the next 
high tide. It was now late in the afternoon, and Smith 
decided to spend the night in the wigwams where they 
were already quartered. These wigwams being some 
distance from the main village, he sent to Powhatan for 
some supper. Learning that the party had not gone, the 
Indians at once began to plot to murder the white men. 
But Pocahontas, ever the friend of Smith, overhearing 
the plans of her father and his warriors, came and told 
the Englishmen of their danger, and advised them to 
get away as soon as possible. When ten warriors came 
with their supper, therefore, Smith gave them to under- 
stand that if Powhatan was planning trouble he would 
find him prepared to receive him. As soon as the tide 
began to rise, hearing nothing more from the Indians, 
the Englishmen boarded their vessels and sailed away. 
This was the last time that Smith saw Powhatan. 



46 SCHOOL HISTOBT OF FIRGINIA 

A Visit to Opechancanouo'h. — From Werowocoraoco, 
Smith continued up the York River to the village of 
Powhatan's brother, Opechancanough, from whom he 
intended to get more corn. He was received with what 
seemed at the time to be friendship, but it was soon 
seen that here, too, treachery was being planned, for 
the Englishmen found themselves surrounded by sev- 
eral hundred armed warriors. Unwilling to take any 
chances, but not wishing to fire upon the Indians if it 
could be aA'oided, Smith decided upon a very unusual 
method of bringing Opechancanough to terms. Accom- 
panied by several of his men, he rushed into the chief's 
wigwam, and, pointing his pistol at his head, seized him 
by the scalp-lock, and dragged him before his w^arriors. 

Opechancanough Brought to Terms. — This unex- 
pected boldness on the part of Smith so astonished the 
chief and his men, that they began to think the daring 
Englishman must be some supernatural being. They 
not only put aside their bows and arrows, but soon 
brought large quantities of corn and venison. The ex- 
pedition then returned to Jamestown. The provisions 
gotten on this expedition were, however, of less value 
to the colon}' than was the impression made upon the 
Indians by Captain Smith. His masterful way of- deal- 
ing with them filled the natives with great fear and 
respect for the bold Englishman, and made it easy for 
him to trade with them as long as he remained at James- 
town. Fortunately, also, he had avoided bloodshed 
either at Werowocomoco or in his dealings with Opechan- 
canough, so that the Indians had no occasion for wish- 
ing revenge. 

Conditions at Jamestown. — With the storehouse well 
filled and the Indians on friendly terms again and 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 47 

willing to trade, Smith now turned his attention 
to matters at Jamestown. As we have seen, everything 
was held in common by the colonists. They were fed. 
clothed, and otherwise provided for by the London Com- 
pany. Each man's earnings went into the common 
fund, and all were fed from the general supply. Thus 
it happened that the idle lived at the expense of the 
industrious, and less than forty were supporting the 
whole colony. Unwilling for such a state of affairs to 
continue, Smith made the rule that any man who did 
not perform his share of the work should have nothing 
to eat. 

The enforcement of this rule worked a great change 
in a very short time. By the end of April, 1609, there 
were tw^enty good houses in the town, a well had been 
dug, thirty acres of crops had been plante<i, and nets 
had been set in the river for fishing. Smith also put 
some of the men to making tar, soap and glass, and set 
others to work preparing cedar and sassafras for ship- 
ment to England. 

The outlook for the summer was good, when it was 
discovered that a number of rats brought over in New- 
port's ship had collected in the storehouse and made 
such waste of the corn that scarcely any was left. The 
men had now to leave their work to look for provisions 
again.. The Indians were liberal with what corn they 
had left from the winter, but this was not sufficient. 
In their search for food, therefore, the colonists became 
widely scattered, some living with the Indians, others 
fishing at different points along the river, while a few, 
it being mid-summer, lived by picking berries in the 
woods. 

Argall Arrives. — While affairs at Jamestown were in 
this condition. Captain Samuel Argall, arriving from 



48 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

England, brought letters in which members of the Lon- 
don Company complained that such things as had been 
sent home from the colony were of little value ; that 
Smith had been accused of dealing too severely with 
the Indians; that a new charter had been granted the 
London Company; that Smith had been removed from 
the presidency, and that a great expedition, commanded 
by Lord Delaware, was preparing to sail for Virginia. 
This news, which evidently meant that there were 
soon to be some important changes at Jamestown, came 
as a surprise to the colonists, who now anxiously awaited 
the arrival of the new expedition. 



QUESTIONS. 

Why was it important that the Indians shonkl be kept on 

friendly terms? 

De'^cribe Smith 's journey to Werowocomoco. Tell about his 

efforts to ^et Powhatan to trade for corn. 

Give an account of what took place after the corn was put on 

the ship. 

Where did Smith go after leaving Werowocomoco and for 

what purpose? 

Tell how he brought Opechancanough to terms. What good 

eflect did this visit have upon the Indians? 

What rule did Smith make at Jamestown about working? 

What were some of the effects of this rule? What soon 

caused the colonists to be again without suflfieient food? 

Tell what news was brought by Argall from England? Who 

did he say was preparing to sail for Virginia? 



CHANGES IN THE LONDON COMPANY. 

London Company Reorganized. — The London Com- 
pany, having given up its first charter, was now re- 
organized in order to obtain more money and a better 
form of government for the colony in Virginia. On 
May 23, 1609, a new charter was granted by King 
James I. By this charter the company was made a 

^^^poration with more than six hundred stockholders, 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 49 

among whom were men from every class, profession and 
trade in London. Those who were able to do so paid 
for their shares, but there were many who became stock- 
holders by agreeing to go to Virginia as colonists, which 
entitled each such person to one share of stock. For 
seven years the colonists were to be fed and clothed at the 
company's expense, their earnings going in to the com- 
mon fund, at the end of which period each stockholder 
was to receive a grant of land in the new country in 
proportion to the number of shares owned. 

The Second Charter. — The new charter made impor- 
tant changes in the boundaries and government of Vir- 
ginia. The boundaries were extended to include a strip 
of country four hundred miles wide, two hundred north 
and two hundred south of Old Point, and extending 
from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. But the most 
important change was in the method by which the colony 
was to be governed. Instead of two councils, as under 
the First Charter, there was now to be only one, the mem- 
bers of which were appointed by the king, vacancies 
thereafter being filled by vote of the stockholders in the 
London Company. 

This council, holding its meetings in London, was 
given the power to make all laws for the government of 
Virginia, to appoint all colonial officers, and to collect 
certain customs duties. The officers provided for were a 
governor, a lieutenant-governor and an admiral, and all. 
authority and power in the colony was to be in the hands 
of the governor, who should be responsible for his acts 
to the council in London. 

Arrival of Third Supply. — The council now elected 
Lord Delaware* governor of Virginia for life, and 
under his direction a new expedition, known as the 

*Spe Apppndix A. 



50 SCHOOL niSTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Third Supply, was soon fitted out. On June 1, 1609, 
nine ships carrying 500 colonists sailed from Loudon 
in command of Captain Newport. It was necessary for 
Lord Delaware to remain for some time in England, 
and the new government was entrusted to Sir Thomas 
Gates, lieutenant-governor, and Sir George Somers, 
admiral. These men, with the charter and all import- 
ant papers, were taken aboard Newport's ship, the Sea 
Venture. All went well with the expedition until 
within a few days of the American coast, when the fleet 
was caught in a storm. One small vessel was sunk, 
while the Sea Venture, having become separated from 
the other ships, was driven on the rocks and wrecked 
in the Bermuda Islands with 150 people on board. The 
remaining seven ships, having weathered the storm, 
arrived at Jamestown in August. 

Smith Contiimes in Charge. — Smith had already been 
removed by the council in London in favor of the new 
governor, Lord Delaware, but in the absence of the Sea 
Venture there was no one in the colony with authority 
to succeed him, and it was decided that Smith should 
continue in charge until the missing ship could be heard 
from. He was not permitted to retain the presidency 
without opposition, however, for his old enemy, Ratcliffe, 
a member of the recent expedition, having got together 
some of his friends, wanted to be made president him- 
self. Smith had the support of Ihe old settlers and 
many of the new, and the trouble Avas at last ended by 
the arrest of Ratcliffe as a disturber of the peace. 

The new colonists were found to be even less indus- 
trious than those brought on former expeditions, reck- 
less and more difficult to manage, and inclined to find 
fault with their crude accomodations. This, together 
with the lack of sufficient houses for so large a number, 



SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 51 

produced much confusion and disorder at Jamestown. 
Captain Smith, who had always favored a better site 
for the colony than the low, marshy peninsula, the 
source of so much sickness, planned two new settle: 
ments. 

His Last Adventure in Virginia. — Sending a small 
party in charge of John Martin to establish a settlement 
near the mouth of the Nansemond River, Smith went 
with another party, under Francis West, up the James 
to a point near the present site of Richmond, where he 
bought a tract of land from the Indians. Martin's 
settlement soon failed as the result of trouble with the 
natives, and the colonists returned to Jamestown. The 
party under West was more successful, however, having 
the advantage of Smith's presence and advice in dealing 
with the Indians. As soon as the settlement had been 
got in good condition. Smith started back to James- 
town. On the way a bag of powder in his boat exploded, 
wounding and burning him so severely that, in his agony 
and to get relief, he jumped into the river and was 
almost drowned before being rescued. 

Smith Leaves Virginia, — Suffering and d'sabled, he 
arrived only to find disorder and confusion again pre- 
vailing at Jamestown as the result of Ratclifife's mischief 
in trying to stir up a mutiny among the unruly colo- 
nists. Ratcliffe had prepared a letter containing numer- 
ous false charges against Smitii's management of 
affairs in Virginia, which he was sending by the ships 
now about to return to England. Being in need of 
medical attention and unable to undertake the task of 
getting the colony under control again. Smith decided to 
return to London and answer Ratcliffe's charges before 
the London Company. So, leaving George Percy in 



52 SCHOOL HISTOBF OF VIRGINIA 

charge at Jamestown, and bidding farewell to his 
friends and the scenes of so much labor, hardship and 
adventure spent in the effort to make the colony a suc- 
cess, he left Virginia never to revisit the colony.* 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Tell something about the changes that were made in the 
London (.'ompany. 

2. What kind of government was provided for Virginia in the 
Second Charter? What were to be the boundaries of the 
colony? Who was appointed the first governor of Virginia? 

3. Give an account of the experiences of the expedition sent out 
by Lord Delaware. 

4. Why was the loss of the Sea Venture specially unfortunate? 
.5. Why did Smith continue in charge at Jamestown? With 

whom did he begin to have trouble soon after the arrival of 
the third supply of colonists? 
(i. Give an account of bis last adventure in Virginia. 

7. Why did Smith decide to return to England? When did hf 
leave Virsrinia? 

8. Find on the map (1) Eichmond, (2) the Nansemond River. 

9. Give your impressions of the value of Smith's services to 
Virginia. 



HARD TIMES AT .TAMESTOWN. 

The "Starving- Time." — Smith's departure was fol- 
lowed Iw what is generally known as the "Starving 
Time" at Jamestown. President Percy being unable 
to manage the sort of men with whom he had to deal, 
it was not long until the settlers again drifted into 
habits of idleness and recklessness. They refused to 
work, when they should have provided houses and 
food in preparation for the winter. The Indians, Miien 
they had learned of Smith's absence, not only refused 
to sell corn, but became hostile, killing the colonists 
and their stock whenever opportunity afforded. Rat- 

*Five years later, in 1614. Sunith explored the coast of what is now 
New England. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF FIBGINIA 53 

eliffe and a party of thirty men, having gone to trade 
with Powhatan, were captured, and, with the exception 
of one boy, all were slain. The boy, Henry Spilman, 
was made a prisoner and afterwards lived with the 
Indians. Conditions at length came to be such that the 
inhabitants of Jamestown hardly dared venture out- 
side the fort for fear of being scalped. 

When cold weather set in, the absence of sufficient 
houses caused much suffering, and many died from ex- 
posure. As the winter advanced, the stock of provis- 
ions failed, and many more died of starvation. Soon 
there were more houses than occupants, and as soon 
as a house became empty it was pulled down and used 
for firewood. Even the timbers of the fort were burned 
in the effort to relieve the terrible suffering from cold. 
But the question of food was, if possible, a more serious 
one. The last bit of corn gone and the cattle all killed, 
boiled roots and herbs were eaten. On one occasion, 
the body of a dead Indian, shot just outside the fort, 
was dragged in, boiled and used for food. Finally the 
people resorted to eating their own dead friends and 
neighbors. One poor starving wretch is said to have 
killed and salted his wife, for which, having been dis- 
covered with the partly-consumed body hidden away 
in his cabin, he was burned alive by the others. 

With only two small .boats at Jamestown, escape from 
these horrible conditions was impossible. The Indians 
might easily have made an end to the colonj^ during 
this period, for the settlers were too weak from hunger 
and suffering to have offered resistance. But the sav- 
ages, satisfied with the results of their refusal to sell 
corn to the settlers, were content to await the slow de- 
struction of Jamestown. Believing that a few weeks 
at most would see the last white man in his grave, they 



54 SCHOOL EISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 

lurked only near enough to murder any that might 
venture from the fort in search of food. 

Gates, Somers and Newport. — Ten months had pass- 
ed since the wreck of the Sea Venture, and during this 
time nothing had been heard at Jamestown of the fate 
of the unfortunate passengers. They had been busily 
engaged, hoAvever, in preparing to reach Virginia. Out 
of the remains of the Sea Venture, they had built two 
small vessels, which they named Patience and Deliver- 
ance. Having loaded these with provisions. Gates, 
Somers and Newport, with nearly 150 people on board, 
set sail, and on May 10, 1610 arrived at Jamestown. 

Instead of finding the prosperous, happy community 
that they had expected to find, they were met at the 
landing by a mere handful of weak, sick, half-starved 
creatures bogging for something to eat. Of the 500 
people left in the colony by Captain Smith, only sixty 
were alive, the others having died in the brief space 
of six months. On all sides were newly-made graves, 
few of the cabins remained standing, the fort was in 
ruins, and everywhere were disorder and confusion. 

They Abandon Jamestown. — The provisions brought 
by Newport's ships, though relieving for the time the 
famished settlers, could last scarcely a month. As there 
was no longer any possibility of procuring corn from 
the natives, it became necessary to choose between re- 
turning to England, now that there were ships enough, 
and remaining at Jamestown in the hope of receiving 
fresh supplies from Lord Delaware during the summer. 
A consultation was held, and the chance of relief from 
England seeming too uncertain to be relied upon, it was 
decided to abandon Jamestown. And so, on Thursday, 
June 7, 1610, the drums lieat for the people to assemble, 
such little things as could be carried away were loaded 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 55 

on the ships, the guns and ammunition were buried 
inside the fort to prevent their falling into the hands 
of the Indians and the entire party went aboard the 
vessels at the landing and started doAvn the river. 

Met by Lord Delaware. — But there was relief near at 
hand. On his arrival in London, Smith had told Lord 
Delaware of the loss of the Sea Venture and the condi- 
tion of affairs at Jamestown when he left there. So 
Lord Delaware at once set out for the colony with 150 
men and a big supply of provisions. Having sailed 
from London early in April, he was just about due in 
Virginia. 

On Friday, the day following their departure from 
Jamestown, as the little fleet came to the broad mouth 
of the river, a black speck was seen far out on the 
waters of Hampton Roads. At first this was thought 
to be an Indian canoe and little notice was taken of it, 
but very soon all eyes were fixed on the approaching 
object, for a long boat could be distinguished. Lord 
Delaware's own vessel was in advance of the others, 
coining to meet them with a message. His ships had 
reached Old Point Comfort and the governor himself 
was in the party. And now, the feeling of despair and 
gloom giving away to rejoicing and hope, a great shout 
went up from the grateful settlers. The colony was 
saved and Virgin^'a would never again be abandoned. 

Return to Jamestown. — The ships were turned up 
stream, and on Sunday, June 10, they came to James- 
town. Before the provisions were unloaded, however, 
or even before the old settlers were permitted to tell of 
their sufferings and recent trying experiences, the peo- 
ple were drawn up in line before the deserted ruins while 
Lord Delaware kneeled and thanked God that he had 
come in time to save Virginia. Later they assembled to 



56 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

listen to a sermon, after which Lord Delaware made a 
speech in which he told the colonists how their idleness 
and disobedience had been the cause of their misfortunes 
in the past and warned them that as their future gov- 
ernor he would expect the strictest obedience in all 
matters having to do with the good of the colony. 

Weakness of the Colony. — Three things had been to 
blame for the near-failure of the colony. These were: 
(1) the lack of a strong government, (2) the idle, reck- 
less, unruly character of the settlers, and (3) the sys- 
tem of having everything owned in common. Captain 
Smith was the only member of the Council w^ho had 
taken a serious interest in the welfare of the colony, 
and the jealousy and interference of the other members 
had caused his removal. The men, for the most part 
mere adventurers, took little interest in anything but 
looking for gold, and were constantly quarreling and 
getting into trouble. A few industrious persons had 
to support both themselves and the others, with the re- 
sult, as we have seen, that Smith had finally to make 
the rule that only such as were willing to work should 
have anything to eat. What the colony at this time 
needed was a capable man wdth authority to command 
obedience. Tn this respect, therefore. Lord Delaware's 
administration Avas to be a great benefit. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Whom did Smith leave in charge at Jamestown? How did 
the colony fare after Smith's departure? 

2. Describe the "Starving Time" at Jamestown. 

3. Tell abotit the experiences of Gates, Somers and Newport in 
the Bermudas. 

4. What conditions did they find upon their arrival at James- 
town? 

5. Why was it decided to abandon Jamestown? When did this 
take place? 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 57 

Whom did they meet near the mouth of the James River? 
Tell about the return to Jamestown. What did Lord Dela- 
ware do as soon as the people came ashore? 
Name three things that were responsible for the near failure 
of the colonv. 



IMPROVED CONDITIONS. 

Lord Delaware's Administration. — The government 
])rovided for in the Second Charter went into effect with 
the beginning of Lord Delaware's administration, and 
he was the first man to bear the title of Governor of 
Virginia. The Second Charter, as we have seen, did away 
with the council in the colony and placed all authority 
in the hands of the governor, who was to be responsible 
for his acts to the council in London. Delaware proposed 
to govern fairly and kindly, but firmly, and in this way 
he removed one of the three principal causes of the fail- 
ure of the colony under the First Charter. 

Colonists Set to Work. — On the day following their re- 
turn to Jamestown he set the colonists to work. Regular 
hours of labor were established, and idlers, the cause of 
so much mischief before, were not tolerated. Each man 
was required to work six hours a day, from six o'clock 
to ten in the morning, and from two to four in the 
afternoon. A new fort was built, the houses were re- 
paired, more land was cleared, and in a short time the 
colonists found themselves better provided for than 
ever before in Virginia. The church received its share 
of attention also. Cedar pews, a walnut altar, a high 
pulpit and a baptismal font were put in, and a bell was 
installed, which, besides being used to call the people 
to worship, was rung to let the men know when to begin 
and quit work. The governor was very fond of flowers, 
and at every service would have the church decorated 



58 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



with some of the bright wild flowers from the neighbor- 
ing woods. Accompanied by a guard of yeomen, and 
richly dressed in lace and velvet, he attended all ser- 
vices. 

Somers and Argall. — It was not long, however, before 
the colony was confronted with the old difficulty of 
getting provisions. The unfriendliness of the Indians 
made it impossible to trade with thera for corn as had 




SUOWIXG SETTLEMENTS IN 1611 



been the custom in Smith's time, and Delaware at once 
set about to find another source of supply. Somers and 
Argall were sent with two ships to the Bermudas to get 
a cargo of salted pork. The ships becoming separated 
in a storm at sea, Somers was left to proceed alone to 
their destination, where, soon after landing, he was taken 
sick and died. His men, instead of returning with the 
pork, as they had been commanded to do, headed their 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 59 

ship for England, and nothing more was heard of them 
at JamestoAvn. 

In the meantime, Argall's vessel had been driven as 
far north as Cape Cod, where for a time he engaged in 
fishing. Later, cruising down the coast and entering 
the Chesapeake Bay, he sailed up the Potomac River, 
and there met a party of friendly Indians, with whom 
Henry Spilman was living. With Spilman's aid, he 
obtained from the Indians as much corn as his vessel 
could carry back to Jamestown, where he arrived in 
September. Seeing the colonists thus well provided 
for, Newport decided to return to England, and with 
him went Sir Thomas Gates to make a report to the 
London Company on conditions in Virginia. 

Delaware Returns to England. — The colony, number- 
ing nearly three hundred people at the time of Gates' 
departure, fared during the winter much better than 
had been the experience of the previous winter, though 
there wore many deaths among the newer settlers, who 
were unused to the hardships and exposure of life in 
the wilderness. The only trouble of serious consequence 
with the Indians occurred on the occasion of a visit by 
Delaware and a small party to the Falls of the James, 
when an unexpected attack by the natives resulted in 
the death of four Englishmen. Late in the winter the 
governor's health became bad, and in March, 1611, he 
returned to England, leaving George Percy temporarily 
in charge. About this time Newport was sailing from 
London with a new supply of provisions sufficient to 
last for a year. He was accomnanied by Sir Thomas 
Dale, who, with the title of High Marshal, had been 
appointed to govern the colony in the absence of Lord 
Delaware and Gates, the lieutenant-governor. 



60 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Dale's Administration. — Dale therefore began his 
administration with the arrival of the expedition in 
May. The colonists who came over with him were the 
most shiftless, worthless lot of men that had yet landed 
in Virginia, but, fortunately for the peace of the colony, 
they were to be in charge of a man who knew how to 
deal with them. In the brief space of two months under 
Percy's mild rule the colony had begun to fall back 
into the old condition of discontent and restlessness, so 
that altogether Dale was the kind of governor that was 
needed. He was brave, energetic and sensible, and 
having been a soldier in Europe, knew how to command 
obedience. "While ever ready to befriend and help those 
who tried to do right, he was stern and merciless in 
punishing offenders. 

A New Code of Laws. — One of Dale's first acts was 
to put into effect a code of laws approved by the London 
Company for the government of the colony. These laws 
mentioned a number of offenses, for which penalties were 
prescribed; among the offenses M^ere failure to attend 
church regularly, blasphemy, trading with the Indians 
without permission, destroying of crops, failure to per- 
form daily work, and killing of poultry or cattle with- 
out the governor's consent. A man found guilty of dis- 
respect to a minister was to be whipped in public three 
times, while any criticism of either the king or the Lon- 
don Company was to be punished with death. 

Modes of Punishment. — The most common modes of 
punishment at this time were whipping, hanging and 
shooting, though other forms were occasionally used, 
such as boring through the tongue with a red-hot iron 
or dagger, slitting the ears and "breaking on the wheel." 
Dale made use of these punishments as often as there was 
occasion, and we are told bv one who lived at that time 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 61 

that his severity was even then less than some of the 
offenders deserved. 

The Third Charter. — In 1612, King James granted to 
the London Company a Third Charter, which made sev- 
eral important changes in the management of the com- 
pany's affairs and gave to the council absolute control 
over the colony. It provided that the council should meet 
every three months for the election of officers and the 
transaction of such business as might be necessary. The 
company was given the right to make all laws for Vir- 
ginia and to establish whatever form of government it 
should consider best at any time. This resulted in no 
immediate change in the government, however, for under 
Dale's stern rule the colony was already beginning to 
prosper. 

New Settlement Begun. — A few months after Dale's 
administration began, the arrival of another supply of 
colonists brought the population up to nearly eight 
hundred. So many i^eople could not well be accom- 
modated in Jamestown. A small settlement, called 
Keeoughton, had already been begun near the present 
site of Hampton, and there was West's settlement near 
the Falls of the James. The Dutch Gap peninsula was 
now chosen as the location for another settlement. A 
fort and blockhouse were constructed, three streets were 
laid out, a church and storehouse were built, and 300 
colonists went to live in the new town, which they 
named Henrico City. Dale established other settle- 
ments at Bermuda Hundred, Shirley Hundred and 
Dnle's Gift, the last being near Cape Charles. 

Early in the year 1612, Jamestown contained two rows 
of frame houses, some being two stories high, situated 
on a long street, a church, and three storehouses joined 
together, and was surrounded by a strong fort. 



62 SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 

Pocahontas Brought to Jamestown. — The Indians had 
been hostile ever since Smith's departure, and nothing 
had been seen or heard of Pocahontas. The establish- 
ment of new settlements along the James made it im- 
portant that there should be friendly relations with the 
natives, and Captain Argall, finding Pocahontas staying 
with the Potomac Indians, decided to capture her and 
bring her to Jamestown to be held as a prisoner until 
Powhatan would agree to make peace with the colonists. 

In carrying out this scheme, Argall secured the assist- 
ance of Japazaws, sachem of the Potomac clan and a 
friend of Smith's, with the promise of a copper kettle, 
while Japazav^^s, in turn, Avas aided by his wife. After 
much argument and persuasion, the Indian girl was 
induced to go aboard the Englishman's ship with Japa- 
zaw's wife to examine the wonders of the vessel, and 
here she was made a prisoner. On being informed of 
her captor's plan to bring her father to friendly terms 
with the colonists, she at first objected, and burst into 
tears when told that she would never see Powhatan 
again unless she made peace between her people and 
the white men. Finally, however, she yielded to Ar- 
gall 's arguments and returned with him to Jamestown, 
accompanied by Henry Spilman, the English bo.t who, 
since the capture of RatcliflF's expedition, had made his 
home with the Indians, and who had formerly aided 
Argall in obtaining corn. 

Powhatan Delays — Powhatan at this time held a 
number of the settlers prisoners at AVerowoconioco. and 
besides, had in his possession many stolen swords, guns 
and p'stols. He was told, therefore, that in order to 
procure the release of his daughter he would not only 
have to make peace with the colonists, but must also 
return the prisoners and arms. These terms worried the 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIEGTNIA 63 

old chief greatly, for, while he loved his daughter devot- 
edly and wished her return at once, he was unwilling to 
agree to the demands of the Englishmen if it could be 
avoided. The result was that Powhatan did his best 
to cheat the colonists out of their captive by means of 
all sorts of false promises. Two years passed in this 
way Avhile Pocahontas remained at Jamestown. The 
treachery of the old chief was too well known to the 
settlers for them to place any confidence in his promises, 
and Dale, growing tired of the delay and trifling on the 
part of Powhatan, was about to send a force to compel 
him to make peace, when the affair took a very unex- 
pected turn. 

Marriage of Pocahontas. — There was living at James- 
town at this time a widower named John Rolfe. who, 
shortly after meeting Pocahontas, fell in love with her 
and proposed marriage. Having come to love Rolfe in 
return, the Indian girl, now about nineteen years old, 
accepted his proposal, and word was sent to her father 
asking his consent to the marriage. This the old chief 
readily gave, and sent his brother and two of his sons to 
attend the wedding. In the meantime, Pocahontas, who 
had been instructed in the Bible by her lover, accepted 
the Christian religion and was baptized, being given the 
name of Rebecca. She was the first Indian to become 
a member of the Christian church. The marriage took 
place in April, 1614, in the little church at Jamestown, 
before an assembly of both Indians and Englishmen. 
Following the ceremony, Powhatan's representatives 
entered into a treaty of peace with the colonists, and 
thus friendship was established with the Indians in a 
way very different from that planned by Argall. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



QUESTIONS. 

1. How did Lord Delaware propose, to govern the colonists? 

2. Describe some of the changes and improvements made bv 
the new governor. 

3. Why was it decided to send Somers and Argall to the 
Bermudas for provisions? What became of Somers? Tell 
of Argall 's experiences? 

4. When did Delaware return to England? Why? Who suc- 
ceeded him? 

5. What kind of a man was Sir Thomas Dale? What kind of 
people came over with hini? 

6. What were some of the laws put into effect by Dale? 

7. Tell about the kinds of punishment used in Virginia during 
Dale 's administration. 

8. When Avas the Third Charter granted to the London Com- 
pany? What provision did it contain for the government of 
Virginia? 

9. What new settlements were established by Dale? What 
other settlements vs^ere there at this time? 

10. Why did Argall wish to capture Pocahontas? Give an 
account of her capture. 

11. What message was sent to Powhatan? Why was he un- 
willing to yield to the demands of the English? 

12. Whom did Pocahontas meet at Jamestown? Tell about her 
marriage. What effect did tliis have on Powhatan? 



THE COLONY GROWS. 

Each Man to Own Property. — We have seen that one 
of the causes of the failure of the early colony was re- 
moved by Lord Delaware when he began to give Vir- 
ginia a strong government, and now another of these 
causes, the plan of having everything in common, 
was to be done away with. Finding that about one- 
fifth of the population were supporting not only them- 
selves but the others, and that this system resulted 
chiefly in idleness and dissatisfaction, Dale decided, in 
1616, to abolish it. He believed that by giving each man 
the means of earning something for himself, it would 
nbt be necessary to resort so often to punishment to 
keep the settlers ont of mischief. He therefore had the 
land ill each settlement laid out into three-acre lots, and 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 65 

to each of the colonists Avas given one of these lots for 
life, on condition that every year the owner should pay 
six bushels of corn into the storehouse to supply those 
Avho were employed by the London Company. 

This was the beginning of individual ownership of 
land and the first taxation of which there is any account 
in Virginia. The change was undoubtedly a wise one, 
for the colony soon began to prosper as never before. 
Crimes of every kind became fewer, the people grew 
more contented, and the colony was done with famine. 

Dale Leaves Virginia. — In 1616, after an administra- 
tion lasting five years, Dale had to return to England 
on account of private business. Governor Delaware was 
still unable to come to Virginia, and George Yeardley, 
who was already a member of the colony, was appointed 
lieutenant-governor to succeed Dale. When Yeardley 
took charge, the colony was in fine condition, and he 
continued to govern in the stern manner of his predeces- 
sor. Dale had ruled with a heavy hand, it is true, but 
he had ruled successfully, and this was the most import- 
ant thing at that time. In maintaining strict order, 
establishing peace with the Indians, allowing each man 
to own property, and introducing the cultivation of 
tobacco, he had laid so firmly the foundation for pros- 
perity, safety and contentment, that the success of Vir- 
ginia Avas no longer uncertain. 

Virginia in 1616. — At the beginning of Yeardley 's 
administration there Avere six settlements in Virginia 
besides JamestOAvn. The total population Avas about 
three hundred and fifty, including a few women and 
children. JamestoAvn, with 150 inhabitants, Avas the 
largest settlement. Dale's Gift, on the Eastern Shore, 
consisted of fifteen or tAventy men, who were stationed 
there to catch fish and make salt. The other settle- 



6t) SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

ments were scattered along the James River from Ke- 
coughton, near Old Point, to Henrico City, at Dutch 
Gap. The population consisted of officers, laborers and 
farmers. Among the laborers were blacksmiths, car- 
penters, shoemakers, tanners, tailors and fishermen. 
Some of these had their own shops, while others were 
employed by the London Company, and were fed out of 
the common storehouse. The officers were overseers in 
charge of the laborers who worked for the company. 

Cultivation of Corn and Tobacco. — The colonists had 
begun to raise both corn and tobacco in considerable 
quantities. Tobacco, one of the new things discovered 
by Raleigh's colonists on Roanoke Island, and first in- 
troduced by them into England, had come to be used a 
great deal in Europe. Smoking and the taking of snuflf 
were two of the most popular practices among gentlemen 
at the time of Dale. Though the Indians raised small 
patches for their own use, John Rolfe was the first 
Englishman to attempt its cultivation in Virginia. 
Rolfe 's experiments, which were made in 1612, showed 
that the Virginia soil was well adapted to the raising 
of tobacco, and Dale and his successor, Yeardley, en- 
couraged the people to plant large crops of it. 

Finding tobacco more profitable than corn, the col- 
onists were disposed to plant less corn and more tobac- 
co. But Dale knew that corn was a necessity, and to 
insure the raising of a sufficient quantity to supply the 
colony, he made the rule that every farmer must plant 
at least two acres of corn before he would be allowed to 
plant any tobacco. Those who disobeyed this rule for- 
feited their tobacco to the colony. The result was that 
more corn was raised than the colonists could use, and 
as early as 1615 the Indians had begun to buy corn 
from the Englishmen. It is said that some Indian 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



67 



sachems mortgaged their land to obtain 500 bushels of 
corn. 

Pocahontas Visits England. — In 1616, Rolfe and 
Pocahontas visited England, going in the same ship with 
Dale. Landing at Plymouth, they later went to London, 
where Lady Poca- 
hontas, for so she 
was called by the 
English, was 
shown many atten- 
tions. She w^as 
presented at court 
ay Lady Delaware, 
was entertained at 
receptions and 
banquets, and 
everywhere w^el- 
comed. The story 
of her valuable 
services to the Vir- 
ginia colony was 
known, and this, 
together with the 
fact that an In- pocahontas 

dian was a new and strange sight in London, caused 
the people to regard her with much curiosity. At the 
theatre and other public gatherings she was always the 
center of attention. 

Smith Calls on Her. — Captain John Smith, on learn- 
ing that his friend was in London, hastened to call on 
her. Pocahontas was surprised to see Smith, though she 
had not forgotten him, for she explained, "They did 
always tell us you were dead, and I did not know other- 
wise until I came to Plymouth." Smith addressed her 




68 SCUOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

as Lady Pocahontas, the title given her in his country, 
but this seemed to offend her; turning her face away, 
she commenced to weep, and reminded him that he had 
always called her his child in Virginia, while she had 
called him father. As they talked over old times in the 
wilderness, she grew happy again, however, and her 
tears dried and her face brightened at the recollection 
of her childhood at Werowocomoco and among her own 
people. 

Death of Pocahontas. — Smith did not see her again. 
As she was about to sail for Virginia, in March, 1617, 
she was taken sick, and died at Gravesend just outside 
of London. Here she was given a Christian burial, her 
remains being laid in the parish church. She left one 
son, Thomas Rolfe, who after receiving his education in 
England, came to Virginia to live. Through him from 
Pocahontas are descended some of the most prominent 
families in Virginia to-day. 

Argall Made Governor. — Following the administra- 
tion of Yeardley, which lasted only one year and was 
without incident, Captain Samuel Argall was made 
lieutenant-governor. Surprising as it may seem after 
what we have seen of his services in obtaining pro- 
visions for the colony and in seeking to establish peace 
with the Indians, Argall was a very dishonest man. He 
ruled Virginia in the same stern way as had Dale and 
Yeardley, but instead of trying to help the people and 
make conditions better, he used his power to enrich him- 
self. While sending reports to England that affairs were 
satisfactory in the colony, he was busy stealing from 
the people and the London Company. He sold cattle 
belonging to the colony, used the company's ships and 
men to trade with the Indians for his own profit, robbed 
the settlers of their possessions — doing, in fact, every- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 69 

thing that a dishonest man might do to add to his per- 
sonal wealth. His conduct finally became so high-handed 
that the people could no longer put up with it. Com- 
plaints were sent to England, and Lord Delaware was 
ordered by the London Company to take personal charge 
in Virginia. 

Yeardley Made Governor. — Bearing orders for the 
arrest of Argall and the confiscation of his property, 
Lord Delaware set out with 200 colonists in the spring 
of 1618. But Delaware fell sick on the way, and died 
before his ship could reach Virginia, and when the 
expedition finally arrived at JamestoAvn, the papers 
containing the orders relating to Argall came into the 
1 after 's possession. The knowledge of what Delaware 
had been instructed to do so enraged Argall that for a 
time he behaved worse than ever, and again complaints 
of his conduct were made to the London Company, 
In the meantime, Sir George Yeardley, recently knighted 
by the king, had been appointed to succeed Lord Dela- 
ware, and when it was learned that conditions had grown 
worse in Virginia, he was at once sent with instructions 
to send Argall home for trial. 

As it happened, however, Argall had a friend in Lon- 
don. Lord Rich, who had obtained his appointment as 
lieutenant-governor. This Lord Rich had been sharing 
in. the governor's dishonest gains. When he heard of 
the orders for the latter 's arrest, to save his own repu- 
tation as well as that of his friend, he sent a vessel to 
Jamestown ahead of Yeardley 's expedition, which en- 
abled Argall to make his escape before the new gov- 
ernor could carry out his orders. 

Results of Argall's Administration. — Argall 's bad 
rule, short though it was, resulted in great injury to 
the colony. When Yeardley arrived, in April, 1619, the 



70 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIEGINIA 

population was barely four hundred. Though the culti- 
vation of tobacco, begun under Dale and encouraged by 
Yeardley while lieutenant-governor, continued in a small 
way, there was discontent : prosperity had ceased, and 
settlers no longer came. The knowledge in England of 
the way in which the colonists were treated by the 
governors made it difficult for the London Company 
to find emigrants who were willing to go to Virginia. 
An English criminal, being given his choice between 
hanging and settling in Virginia at this time, is said 
to have chosen hanging. This state of affairs aroused 
the company to the necessity of doing something to 
remedy matters. 

A New Policy. — Early in 1619, Sir Edvs^in Sandys was 
made treasurer of the London Company. This distin- 
guished and patriotic gentleman believed that before 
there could be either prosperity or contentment in Vir- 
ginia it would be necessary to provide a better form of 
government. He also favored the establishment of per- 
manent homes by the colonists and sought to encourage 
the cultivation of the soil, which he considered the real 
source of wealth in the new country. Through his in- 
fluence, Yeardley was appointed governor, and now 
mechanics, merchants, farmers, lawyers, physicians and 
well-to-do English landowners were induced to settle in 
the colony. These were for the most part men of intel- 
ligence aiid good character, and from this time on a 
better class of colonists began to come over. 

The "Great Charter." — As the first step in carrying 
out his ideas, Sandys had the London Company issue to 
the colony what is knowm as the ' ' Great Charter of Com- 
missions of Privileges. Orders and Laws." This docu- 
ment provided for two things especially that were soon 
to prove of great benefit. (1) a change in the method 



SCHOOL HISTOUY OF FIBGINIA 71 

of government, and (2) full title to land. The power of 
the governor was limited and a legislative, or law-mak- 
ing, body was ereated. The governor, a deputy-governor 
and the governor's council were to be appointed by the 
council sitting in London, while the members of the 
law-making body were to be elected by the colonists. 

The provision relating to land titles gave to each per- 
son emigrating to Virginia at his own expense, fifty acres 
for himself and as much for each member of his family. 
This applied also to settlers who were living in the 
colony as early as 1616. A fee simple title was given 
on condition of the payment of a tax called "quit rent." 
and that the owner should reside on the land for three 
years. The land could be sold or transferred, and the 
oldest land titles in Virginia date back to this time. 



QUESTIONS. 

How did Dale propose to do away with the need of so much 

punishment? How had the people lived before this time? 

What was the first tax levied in Virginia? In what year 

was this? 

When did Dale leave Virginia? How long had he been in 

clmrge? Who succeeded him? 

What was the condition and extent of Virginia in 1616? 

Who was the first Englishman to try to raise tobacco in the 

colony? When? What rule did Dale make about raising 

corn? Why was such a rule necessary? 

Toll about the visit of Pocahontas to England? What title 

was given her by the English people? 

Hive an account of her meeting -sxith Smith. 

When did she die ? Where is she buried ? 

Tell something about Argall's administration. How was his 

fidministration different from that of Dale? 

Tell the circumstances under which Yeanlley was sent over 

to succeed ArgalL How did Argall make his escape? 

What bad effect did Argall 's administration have on the 

gro^^-th of Virginia. 

Who was Sir Edwin Sandys? What changes did he wish to 

bring about in Virginia? Why were such changes necessary? 

What was the "Great Charter"? What important things 

did it provide for in Virginia? 



72 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



THE FIRST LEGISLATURE. 

Yeardley Calls an Election. — Governor Yeardley was 
instructed to put into effect the provisions of the Great 
Charter as soon as he should arrive in Virginia, and 
early in the spring of 1619 he issued a call for the 
election of representatives in the new law-making body 




VmuliNlA IN Itjiy — SHADED PORTION SHOWING SETTLEMENTS 

to meet at Jamestown July 30. With the promise of 
better government in Virginia, colonists were already 
coming in large numbers. Several new settlements had 
been established, and the population, numbering less 
than four hundred at the close of Argall's administra- 
tion, had grown to more than one thousand. The set- 
tlements Avere widely scattered over a strip of country 
seventy miles long and from ten to twelve miles wide, 
extending on both sides of the James River from its 
mouth to Dutch Gap. This territory was divided into 



SCHOOL HI ST GEY OF VIEGINIA 73 

eleven districts, or boroughs*, and each borough was 
allowed to choose two representatives, called burgesses. 

The First Legislative Assembly. — Late in July the 
burgesses began to arrive at Jamestown, coming for 
the most part in small boats; for as yet there were 
few horses in the colony and travel was chiefly by water. 
The little wooden church was selected as the most con- 
venient place of meeting, and on July 30, 1619, the first 
legislative assembly ever held in America was called 
together by Governor Yeardley. There were present, 
besides the governor, twenty-two burgesses and the coun- 
cillors, and the meeting was opened with prayer by the 
Jamestown minister, Mr. Bucke. The governor and 
Council occupied the choir seats, while facing them in 
the body of the church sat the burgesses. The secretary 
of the Council was made speaker, a secretary and ser- 
geant-at-arms were appointed, and each member was 
required to take the oath of office before the business 
of making laws was taken up. The session lasted five 
days, the meetings • beginning one hour after sunrise, 
and a fine was imposed upon any member who arrived 
late or was absent. 

Some of the Laws Passed. — The House of Burgesses, 
as the new law-making body was called, passed a num- 
ber of laws for the government of the colony. One of 
its first acts was that making the Church of England the 
Church of Virginia, and levying a tax for the support 
of its ministers. A petition was addressed to the London 
Company asking that each man might be allowed to own 
the land which he cultivated, and that steps might be 
taken to establish a college in Virginia. Every person 

*TIie elpvon boroughs were Jaraes City. Charlns City, H'^nrico City, 
Martin Brandon. Ma'tin's Hundred, Lawne's Plantation. Ward's Planta- 
tion, Aryan's Gift, Flowerdieu Hundred, Smi'h's Hundred and Keooush- 
ton. Smith's Hundred afterwards became Southampton Hundred, and 
Kecoughton was changed to Hampton. 



74 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

was required to attend church on Sunday ; drunkenness, 
gambling and idleness were to be punished; tobacco was 
made the money of the colony, and the people were for- 
bidden to wear expensive clothing. The burgesses and 
all ministers were to be paid in tobacco, and the price of 
such articles as were bought and sold was to be expressed 
in pounds of tobacco. 

White Servants in Virginia. — After the Virginians 
began to have self-government the population increased 
rapidly. More than twelve hundred colonists came dur- 
ing the year 1619, of whom the majority were of a very 
different type from the early settlers, such as Captain 
John Smith and Sir Thomas Dale had to deal with. 
The cultivation of tobacco was fast becoming a profitable 
industry in the colony, and these new colonists, instead 
of making their homes in the settlements already exist- 
ing, acquired large tracts of land along the James River. 
The forests were cleared away and extensive fields of 
tobacco, wheat, corn and barley were planted in the 
fertile soil. 

The larger farms, called plantations, required m;iny 
hands for the cultivation of these crops, so that there 
was a demand for laborers. This resulted in the em- 
ployment of a class of white men known as "indent- 
ured" servants, because the paper containing the terms 
under which they w^ere to serve was called an indenture. 
The period of service for which these men were bound 
varied from three to ten years, and during this time 
they could be bought ;ind sold by their masters. 

First Negro Slaves. — The practice of trading in negro 
slaves was common at this time, and for many years 
European vessels had engaged in stealing the Africans 
from their homes and selling them to the sugar planters 
in the "West Indies. The demand for laborers on the 



SCHOOL HISTOET OF VIRGINIA 75 

Virginia tobacco plantations became known to these 
traders, and in August, 1619, a Dutch man-of-war visited 
Jamestown Math a cargo of negroes and sold twenty as 
slaves to the colonists. Governor Yeardley sought to 
encourage the introduction of slavery, and is said to 
have bought eight of the negroes for his own use on his 
plantation at Bermuda Hundred. The people saw noth- 
ing wrong in owning slaves, believing that it was no 
more a sin to buy these negroes than to buy cattle or 
horses. This was the beginning of negro slavery in 
Virginia, a system that was to continue for more 
than two hundred and fifty years. At first, however, 
the negro population of Virginia did not increase 
rapidly, the people preferring white servants. 

Wives for the Colonists. — Up to this time few per- 
manent homes had been built in Virginia. The popula- 
tion consisted for the most part of unmarried men, there 
being few women and children in the colony. In the 
absence of any sort of social life or family ties, the men 
still looked upon England as home, and many of them 
would soon become dissatisfied and go back. Sir Edwin 
Sandys, realizing that the colony could not grow and 
prosper as it should under these conditions, in 1619 
caused ninety young women to be sent over and offered 
as wives to the colonists. These were soon happily mar- 
ried to the planters, and it was not long before sixty 
more were sent to seek husbands, while others came 
from time to time for a number of years. Each man was 
free to select his own wife and she her husband, but 
before they could marry he was required to pay to the 
London Company 120 pounds of tobacco, the cost of his 
bride's transportation to Virginia. 

Yeardley Retires. — In 1621, after serving the colony 
two years, Yeardley decided to retire to his plantation 



SCHOOL niSTOEY OF FIEGINIA 



at Bermuda Tlnndred, and Sir Francis Wyatt was ap- 
pointed to the governorship. Yeardley's administration, 
though brief, had accomplished much for the cok)ny, 
which was now in a far more thriving condition than 
ever before. His term was notable for four things: (1) 
the establishment of representative government, (2) the 




VIRGINIA IN 1622 SHADED PORTION SHOWING SETTLEMENTS 

introduction of negro slavery, (3) the beginning of per- 
manent homes, and (4) the growth of tobacco culture. 
Tobacco the Chief Crop, — Tobacco raising had become 
the principal industry and the chief source of wealth of 
the colonists, and large quantities of this product were 
being sold every year in England. In 1619, 20,000 
pounds were shipped, 40,000 pounds in 1620, and 60,000 
in 1622. Corn, wheat and barley were raised in consid- 
erable quantities, sufficient for the use of the people, 
though not as extensively as tobacco. Better houses had 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 77 

begun to take the place of the crude shacks of earlier 
days, and many of these were provided with furniture 
brought from England. By 1622 there were 4,000 peo- 
ple in the colony. Settlements had been built as far up 
the James as the present site of Richmond, and eighty 
families were living along the shores of the Chesapeake 
Bay. 

A Treacherous Chief. — This long, narrow colony 
was exposed to the Indians living along the York and 
Pamunkey rivers, but the Indians had been friendly 
since the marriage of Pocahontas, and the colonists had 
ceased to expect an attack. It was not an unusual thing 
to see the natives moving about the settlements, where 
their presence had become so familiar as to attract little 
notice, and many of them visited the settlers at their 
homes. 

Pocahontas and Powhatan were both dead, however, 
and Opechancanough, the brother of Powhatan, had 
been chief since 1618. He had not forgotten his treat- 
ment at the hands of Captain John Smith, and probably 
longed for vengeance on the white men. Viewing with 
alarm the spread of the English settlements, this treach- 
erous old chief began to plot the destruction of the 
colonists, while all the time he pretended friendship. He 
declared that the stars would fall before he should 
violate the treaty with the Englishman, and continued to 
send presents to the settlers. But he only awaited a 
favorable opportunity for making an attack. 

Great Indian Massacre. — This happened in 1622, when 
an Indian, called Jack the Feather, was slain for his 
having killed an Englishman. A few days later, at 
noon on March 22, the Indians attacked the colony 
from one end to the other. There was not a settlement 
that escaped, and in the short space of three hours 



78 SCHOOL EISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

347 of the English had been massacred. Jamestown 
and several of the nearby settlements suffered less than 
the rest, for a friendly Indian living with a Mr. Pace at 
Jamestown, having learned that his people were planning 
to destroy the colonists, told his master in time to warn 
the inhabitants. But there was not a settlement in which 
men, women and children had not been scalped. 

This disaster, however, did not have the effect that 
such a calamity would have had a few years earlier. 
Instead of being cowered by the frightful slaughter, the 
enraged colonists turned out and hunted the Indians 
without mercy. Sixteen hundred Englishmen pushed 
into the forests, burning the villages and killing the 
natives wherever they were found. The Indians were 
driven far into the interior, and a peace was established 
that lasted twenty-two years. 

Overthrow of the London Company. — In 1624, King 
James, who was opposed in his government by some of 
the members of the London Company, decided to dis- 
solve the company. Taking advantage of certain reports 
that had come to England of bad management in Vir- 
ginia, he sent a party of men, called commissioners, to 
examine more fully into conditions in the colony. 
The commissioners, of whom one was Samuel Argall, 
returned to England with the report that they had 
found affairs in Virginia very unsatisfactory. This was 
just what the king wished to hear, for it gave him an 
excuse for bringing charges against the London Com- 
pany, and on June 16, 1624, the charter of the company 
was revoked and Virginia was made a royal colony. 

Thus, after eighteen years, all connection of the Lon- 
don Company with the colony of Virginia came to an 
end. It had spent what to-day would be nearly five 
hundred thousand dollars and had sent more than 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 79 

uine thousand people in the effort to found a successful 
English state in America. , 

The First School in Virginia. — It will be remembered 
that the House of Burgesses, at its first sesion in 1619, 
petitioned the London Company that steps might be 
taken for the erection of a school in Virginia. Accord- 
ingly, in 1621, the company decided that a free school 
should be established for the education of white children 
and as a means of instructing the Indians in Christian- 
ity. Rev. Patrick Copeland, a former missionary in the 
East Indies, was put in charge of the matter, and such 
a school was soon opened in what is now Charles City 
County. 

There was much interest in the undertaking, and 
this led to the proposal that a university should also 
be built, to be located at Henrico City. Ten thousand 
acres of land were given for it, snbscriptions amount- 
ing to more than two thousand pounds sterling were 
made towards an endowment, and George Thorpe was 
sent over to be rector of the new university. Cope- 
land's school, known as the East India School, was to be 
preparatory to the university. But just as the East 
India School was getting well started and Thorpe had 
about completed his plans for the school at Henrico, 
the Indian massacre came. Thorpe was one of those 
slain by the Indians, and Copeland 's school was com- 
pletely destroyed. 

The London Company did not intend to abandon the 
undertaking, however, and in 1624, Copeland was about 
to be sent to restore the free school and to carry out 
Thorpe's plans for a university, when the overthrow of 
the company put an end to the matter. There was noth- 
ing further done toward the founding of a college or 
university in Virginia for nearly seventy years. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



QUESTIONS. 

1. What was the population of Virginia in 1619? What was 
the extent of tl^e ^settlements ? What had been the character 
of the settlers before this time? What kind of people now 
began to come from England? 

2. When did the first legislative assembly meet? Where? What 
was it called? Give the names of some of the boroughs 
represented. 

3. What act was passed in regard to religion? What were some 
of the other acts passed? 

4. Who were known as "indentured" servants? How did 
there happen to be such servants in Virginia? 

5. When was negro slavery introduced into Virginia? How did 
the people at that time look upon slavery? 

6. What caused the London Company to send women to the 
colony? On what conditions were the colonists allowed to 
marry these women? 

7. When did Yeardley retire from the governorship? Who 
succeeded hhn? For what things was his administration 
notable? What was the extent and population of Virginia 
at this time? 

8. Who became chief of the Powhatan Indians in 1618? What 
was his .character? Give an account of the gi-eat Indian mas- 
sacre of 1622, How long had there been peace with the 
Indians? 

9. V\"hat led to the overthrow of the London Company? When 
was its charter revoked? how long had this company been 
in existence? How much had it spent and how many people 
had it sent out in the effort to build up the Virginia colony? 

LO. Give an account of tlie first attempt to found a school in 
Virginia? What were the plans for a university? What 
prevented its establishment? 



UNDER THE CROWN. 

RULER IN ENGLAND: Francis West (1627-1628). 

King James L (160.3-1625). Jo^" Pott (1628-1629). 

King Charles 1. (1625-1649). J^'m Harvey (1629-1635). 

* ^ John West (1635-1637). 

GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA: John Harvey (1637-1639). 

Francis Wyatt (1621-1626). Francis Wvatt (1639-1641). 

George Yeardley (1626-1627). William Berkeley (1641-1652). 

Virginia a Royal Colony. — The overthrow of the Lon- 
don Company left the control of the colony in the 
hands of the king. Thus Virginia came to be known as 
a royal colonj^ The government, however, remained 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 81 

unchanged. The king was to appoint the governor and 
members of the Council, but the people were to choose 
the burgesses, as they had done since 1619. It was the 
intention of James I. to have a constitution drawn up 
for the colony, in which, it is said, he planned to make 
some changes in the government, but his death, in 1625, 
prevented this. Fearing that the new king, Charles I., 
might carry out his father's ideas, the Council sent Sir 
George Yeardley to inform Charles that the colonists 
were satisfied with their government and hoped that no 
changes would be made. 

Change of Governors.— In 1626, Wyatt resigned from 
the governorship to return to his home in Ireland, and 
Yeardley, who was still in England, was sent to take 
the office. The appointment of Yeardley was under- 
stood by the colonists to mean that the king would re- 
spect their wishes, and in this they were not mistaken. 
After he had served only a year and a half as governor, 
Yeardley died, being buried at Jamestown. Sir John 
Harvey who was named as the next governor could not 
come to Virginia at once and Francis West a brother 
of Lord Delaware, occupied the office temporarily. 

West was followed by Dr. John Pott, a man of some 
education and' culture, and the best physician in the 
colon3^ But Pott was both dishonest and dissipated. 
His conduct while governor was anything but becom- 
ing in one holding such a high office. At length, when 
Harvey arrived, in 1629, Pott was arrested and con- 
victed on the charge of stealing cattle from the settlers. 
He was not sent to jail, but Avas kept a prisoner in his 
own house until instructions could be got from the king 
as to what should be done Avith him. He was finally 
pardoned, and coiitiinicd to live at Jamestown. 



82 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Lord Baltimore's Grant. — In 1629, Lord Baltimore, a 
prominent English gentleman and a Catholic, came to 
Virginia to select a site for a Catholic settlement. The 
Virginians, who were for the most part members of the 
Established Church,* did not like the idea of having 
Catholics for neighbors. Baltimore was compelled to 
return to England, and William Claiborne,t then sec- 
retary of state for the colony, was sent to look after 
the interests of the colonists. In 1632, however, Cecil- 
ius Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore, also a Catholic, 
was given a grant in that part of Virginia north of the 
Potomac River. Although there were no settlements 
in this territory, Virginia claimed it under the charter 
of 1609, and strongly objected to having it occupied 
by Catholics. The result was that for many years there 
was bitter feeling between the Virginians and the 
Maryland colonists. 

Dispute Over Kent Island. — The grant to Lord Bal- 
timore was for unoccupied lands only. A settlement 
already existed on Kent Island, however, where Clai- 
borne had taken up land and established a number of 
families as early as 1681. Kent Island, though far up 
in the Chesapeake Bay, was still considered a part of 
Virginia, because it had been occupied. But Lord Bal- 
timore's settlers claimed it on account of its being north 
of the Potomac River. This led to a dispute and seri- 
ous trouble between Claiborne and the people of Mary- 
land, which lasted for twenty-four years. In spite of 
Claiborne's appeal to the king for protection of his in- 
terests, Kent Island was at length taken by an armed 
force from the new colony. Those living there were 
made prisoners and Claiborne's property was eonfis- 

*Ttio Enisropnl Church was mnde the Established Church of England 
in l-^SA. 

tSee Appendix A. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 83 

eated. The Council supported Claiborne in an effort to 
recover the island, but, in 1657, the dispute was finally- 
settled in favor of Maryland. 

First Counties Laid Out. — In 1634, the first counties 
were laid out in Virginia, and the first. county courts 
established. These counties, sometimes also called 
shires, were eight in number, and comprised that part 
of Virginia in which settlements had already been 
made. They were Charles City, James City, Henrico, 
Elizabeth City, Isle of Wight, Northampton, Warwick 
and York. Each had its own court and justices. The 
first court-houses were small one-room buildings, usu- 
ally constructed of logs. Up to this time the only court 
in the colony had been at Jamestown, and all persons 
having difficulties to settle had to go there. As the set- 
tlements spread, it became inconvenient for many, es- 
pecially among the poorer classes, to attend this court 
on account of the great distance to be traveled. 

Harvey Arrested.— Governor Harvey was very un- 
popular with the colonists. He was haughty and over- 
bearing in manner, mistreated the members of the 
Council, and had no regard for the authority of the 
House of Burgesses. As early as 1624, the House of 
Burgesses had declared that the governor should not 
levy taxes without its consent. Harvey, however, both 
levied taxes and proclaimed laws without consulting 
the Burgesses. He increased fines, refused to tell how 
he spent the money received from taxes, and granted 
to new settlers land that already belonged to others. 
Moreover, he had taken sides with Maryland in the 
Kent Island dispute. 

The people would not put up with such conduct. In 
1635, Harvey was arrested and sent to England in 
charge of commissioners, who laid their complaints 



84 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

before the king. But Charles I., angry with the Vir- 
ginians for arresting his representative in the colony, 
declared that Harvey should return at once to Vir- 
ginia. He was not sent hack, however, until 1637. 
during which time John West acted as governor. In 
1639, when Harvey's character had become fully 
known, the king recalled him, appointing Sir Francis 
Wyatt to the governorship. This affair should be re- 
membered as the first open resistance to tyranny and 
oppression in America. 

Sir William Berkeley.— In 1642, Sir William Ber- 
keley was sent to succeed Wyatt as governor. Ber- 
keley, who was at this time about thirty-five years old. 
was well educated, possessed unusual culture, and had 
traveled extensively in Euroi)e. Though a man of re- 
finement and learning, he had narrow views in matters 
of religion and regarding the rights of the people. One 
of his first acts as governor was to have the House of 
Burgesses pass a law making it unlawful for any but 
ministers of the Established Church to teach or preacli 
in the colony, and comijelling all non-conformists to 
leave at once. He wished especially to get rid of the 
Puritans, who had been coming to Virginia since the 
time of Dale, and who at this time had a large settle- 
ment in Isle of Wight and Nansemond counties. 

Berkeley was paid a salary of 1,000 pounds sterling. 
Besides a house at JamestOAvn, he built a country man- 
sion on a large plantation at Green Spring, eight miles 
west of Jamestown. During his stay of thirty-five 
years in Virginia, he lived in dignity and luxury. The 
mansion at Green Spring was a six room brick building, 
being one of the few brick houses in the colony at that 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 85 

period. He had on his plantation an orchard of 2,000 
fruit trees, and kept a stable of seventy fine horses.* 

Second Indian Massacre. — In 1644, Opeehancanough 
gathered his warriors for a second attempt to destroy 
the colony. Since the massacre of 3 622, many families 
had gone to live along the York and Pamunkey rivers, 
and these exposed frontier habitations afforded a tempt- 
ing opportunity for revenge upon the white men. 
Nearly 500 colonists were slain before a force could 
be collected sufficient to repel the savages. But the 
outbreak Avas speedilj^ put doAvn, and a new treaty was 
made, which forbade the Indians to hunt south of the 
York River. 

Opeehancanough was carried a prisoner to James- 
town. He was now very old, and with paralyzed eye- 
lids and too feeble to walk, his condition was pitiable. 
Berkeley intended, it is said, to send him to be exhib- 
ited in England, but before he could be got away, the 
old chief was shot by one of his guards. After his 
death the strength of the famous Powhatan tribe rapid- 
ly diminished and the colony ceased to be annoyed 
from this body of Indians. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. When flirl Virginia become a royal colony? Why was it called 
a royal colony? Of what did the government consist? 

2. Tell something about the governors between 1626 and 1629. 
Why was Dr. Pott arrested? 

3. What kind of settlement did Lord Baltimore wish to establish 
in Virginia? Why did the Virginians not welcome him? Tell 
about the settlement of Maryland. 

*Boi-ke!ey seems to have been the first governor to introduce the use 
of brick for general building purposes. In 1639 the old wooden church 
at .Jamestown had been replaced by a brick structure, the tower of which 
is still standing. This was built of brick brought from England. Ber- 
keley's mansion at Green Spring, however, was made of brick made in 
the colony. In 1642 he had thirty-two brick houses erected in .Tames- 
town at public expense, and had the graveyard enclosed with a brick wall. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



Who was William Claiborne? Why rlid he claim Kent Island 

for Virginia? How long did the dispute bet\Yeen Maryland 

All. I Virginia last? How was it finally settled? 

When were the first counties and county courts established 

in Virginia? Where was court held before that time? What 

wo-e these counties? 

What made Harvey unpopular with the Virginians? Why 

should his arrest be remembered? 

When did Berkeley become governor? What sort of man 

was he? What law did he have passed against Puritans? 

Tell how he lived in Virginia. 

Give an account of the Indian massacre of 1644. What 

became of Opechancanough? 

Find on the map, (1) York River, (2) Pamunkey Eiver, (3) 

the eight original counties, (4) Kent Island. 



UNDER THE COMMONWEALTH. 

RULER IM EXC.LANTD: nOVEFNCR TN VTRnlNIA : 

Oliver Cromwell, Protector William Berkeley (Ifi41-1R"2). 

(lfi40-lfioS). Richard Bennett (lfin2-16")6). 

Eichard Cromwell, Protector Edward Disrgs (Ifii'O-KioS). 

(16.38-1660). Samuel Matthews (1658-1660). 

Affairs in Eng-land. — For many years there had been 
trouble in England between king and Parliament. This 
gradually increased, until, in 1642, civil war broke out. 
There were two opposing parties, known as the Cav- 
aliers and the Roundheads. The Cavaliers, who were 
for the most part owners of large landed estates, sup- 
ported the king^ and the Established Church. The 
Roundheads, so called because of the way in which 
many of them shaved their heads, took sides with Par- 
liament. They were Puritans, and included the small 
landowners, merchants, tradesmen and a few of the 
landed aristocracy. Under the able leadership of 
Oliver Cromwell, the Roundheads succeeded in defeat- 
ing the Cavaliers, and, in 1649, Charles I. was taken 
prisoner, condemned as a traitor, and beheaded. 

The Commonwealth. — After the execution of the 
king, CroniAvell made himself ruler of England Avith the 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 87 

title of Lord Protector. He called his government the 
Commonwealth. The Virginians, who were on the 
whole members of the Established Church, sympa- 
thized with the Cavaliers, and refused to recognize 
Cromwell's government. The House of Burgesses 
promptly passed resolutions expressing respect for the 
unfortunate king, and announced the desire of the Vir- 
ginians to see Charles II. on the English throne. Gov- 
ernor Berkeley, himself a strong Cavalier, invited the 
followers of Charles I. to come to Virginia to live, and 
Charles II., who had taken refuge in Holland, was. as- 
sured that he also would be welcome in the colony. 

Cavaliers Come to Virginia. — Finding it unsafe and 
undesirable to remain in England with the government 
in the hands of their enemies, many of the Cavaliers 
accepted Berkeley's invitation, and came to make their 
homes in Virginia.* More than 1,000 are said to have 
come during the year 1649, while hundreds of others 
arrived during the eleven years of the Commonwealth 
period. Thus the colony received not only a big addi- 
tion in population, but a most desirable class of settlers, 
foi* these immigrants were people of culture, refinement 
and wealth. Their presence and influence greatly 
strengthened Virginia's loyalty to the king's cause, and 
the Puritans then remaining in the colony began to 
move into Maryland. 

Cromwell and Virginia. — During the first three years 
of the Commonwealth, Cromwell was too busy at home 
to give much attention to what went on in Virginia. In 
1652, however, four commissioners were sent with a 
small fleet to compel the Virginians to accept the new 
goven-ment. Berkeley had prepared to resist the fleet, 

*Among those Cavaliers are found the names of Randolph, Washing- 
ton. Mr,.'.. M>'lison, Mason, 'IM-i . I'enilleion, Marshall, Car.v. Parke, 
Lud''"l', Robinson, and many otber-s that became prominent in Virginia's 
histo- 



88 SCHOOL EI8T0BY OF VIRGINIA 

but matters took such a turn that there was no couflict. 
Seeing that it would probably be useless to resist Crom.- 
well, the colonists agreed to acknowledge the authority 
of the Commonwealth. They were to retain their House 
of Burgesses, to have all the liberties to which they had 
been accustomed, and were not to be taxed except by 
the Burgesses. Berkeley thereupon gave up the gov- 
ernorship, and Avent to live on his estate at Green 
Spring. Richard Bennett, one of the commissioners 
and a Puritan, was elected governor by the House of 
Burgesses. 

Virginia Prospers. — The eleven years of the Com- 
monwealth were prosperous years for Virginia. The 
population, which in 1649 numbered 15,000 whites and 
300 negroes, almost doubled between 1649 and 1660. 
The Cavaliers liked the new country, and the majority 
of them were content to settle here permanently. Be- 
ing people of means, they could afford to have large 
estates, and some of them acquired plantations contain- 
ing more than 5,000 acres. The soil was fertile, almost 
any crop would grow, fish and game were abundant, 
and the climate was mild. Hundreds of acres of to- 
bacco, corn, wheat, barley, hemp and flax were raised, 
and fruit and vegetables of all kinds were grown in 
abundance. 

Among the new counties formed about this time, 
and since 1634, were Nansemond, New Kent, Lancaster, 
Northumberland, Gloucester, Surry and Westmore- 
land. Near Hampton, in Elizabeth City County, was a 
well-known school, which had been established by Ben- 
jamin Symes in 1634. This was the first school founded 
in Virginia after the East India School, and for many 
years remained the only institution of learning in the 
colony. The counties, of which there were now in all 



iiCEOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 89 

fifteen, were divided into parishes, and each parish had 
its church and minister. There were about twenty-five 
churches, and a minister's salary, which was paid in 
tobacco, was estimated at 100 j^ounds sterling. 

The Government. — When counties and parishes were 
established, there came into existence in Virginia, be- 
sides the colonial government, a county and parish gov- 
ernment. This dates back to 1634, when the first 
counties were laid out and the first parishes formed. 
With a few small changes, this arrangement continued 
as long as Virginia remained a colony. 

The colonial government, in which there was no 
change after 1619, consisted of the governor, council- 
lors and burgesses. The governor and sixteen council- 
lors were appointed by the king, and the burgesses, 
of whom there were two from each county and one 
from Jamestown, were elected yearly by the people. 
The councillors and burgesses together made up the 
colonial assembly, or legislature. They passed laws for 
the government of the colony, levied taxes for general 
purposes, and looked after the interests of the colony 
as a whole. 

The government of each county was in the hands of 
a court of eight justices, with a sheriff and county lieu- 
tenant. The place at which the justices held court, 
which was usually once a month, was called the county 
seat, and here the court-house and jail were built. The 
justices and sheriff were appointed by the governor, 
while the justices appointed the clerk, constables, mag- 
istrates and coroners. The county lieutenant was usu- 
ally a member of the Council. All county taxes, for 
court-house, jail, roads, bridges and burgesses' salaries, 
were levied by the court. The sheriff, who was also 
county treasurer, attended to collecting the taxes. The 



90 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

county lieutenant commanded the county militia, which 
was drilled once a month. 

The parish government was in the hands of a body 
of twelve men, called the vestry. At first the vestry- 
men were elected by the people, but in 1662 they were 
given the right to fill their own vacancies. Such a 
vestry was known as a "closed vestry." The vestry, 
at whose meetings the minister presided, levied the 
parish taxes, appointed the churchwardens, had charge 
of land-titles, and acted as overseers of the poor. The 
parish clerk and sexton were appointed either by the 
vestrj^ or by the minister. The churchAvardens collect- 
ed the parish taxes, which were used for the support of 
the church and the minister and to provide for the poor. 

End of the Commonwealth. — Bennett was succeeded, 
in 1656, by Edward Diggs. and two years later Samuel 
Matthews became governor. About this time the sit- 
uation in England began to change. The death of 
Oliver Cromwell left his son, Richard Cromwell, Lord 
Protector. The younger Cromwell possessed little abil- 
ity as a ruler, and it was generally believed that the 
Commomvealth would soon fall. In 1659, Richard 
Cromwell resigned, and shortly thereafter Governor 
Matthews died. Early in 1660, therefore, House of 
Burgesses declared that all power in the colony must 
be regarded as belonging to the "Grand Assembly of 
Virginia," and Berkeley was elected governor to suc- 
ceed Matthews. In May of the same year Charles II. 
was crowned king, and the Commonwealth was at an 
end. 



aCHOOL HliSTURY OF VIRGINIA 91 

QUESTIONS. 



1. What were the two opposing parties in England? What 
Luu.v p,ace in i64y ^ 

2. V.1.1J .vafa Oliver Cromwell.^ What did he call his govern- 
ments Why did the Virginians sympathize with the king? 
liovv did they show then cympatliyi! 

3. Tell about the coming of the Lav^liers to Virginia. Why 
wcie they desirable immigrants? 

4. On what terms did the colonists submit to Cromwell? Who 
\\;is made governor in 1652? What became of Berkeley? 

5. Toil something of conditions in Virginia during the Com- 
iiinn-vealth. What was the population in 1649? In 1660? 
Whit new counties had been formrri? Hnw many churches 
in tbe colony? What was the principal school? 

6. ^V^en did county and parisli government begin in Virginia? 
Tell about, (1)' the colonial government, (2) the county 
f'overnment, (3) the parish government. 

7. W^o succeeded Oliver Cromwell? Why was it believed 
tl'at the Commonwealth would soon fall? What happened 
in Virginia about 1659? AVhat did the House of Burgesses 
do? What event marked the end of the Commonwealth? 

8. F'nd nn the map and in Ai)pendix B the six counties men- 
tioned in this section. 



UNDER THE CROWN. 

Kin KR IX ENGLAND: King George III. (1760-1820). 

King ChMlcs TI. (]6''i0-1fi85). fiovERNOR OF Virginia*: 

Kina .Im,u's ir (1685-16S9). William Berkeley (1660-1677). 

KinS Willinm and Queen Mary i'"'"'! l^"''"^""' /^J-oVVr-Qoi^' 

MfiSM 1604^ Lord Howard (1684-1692). 

^. ^ ,;;.„' Vrr /ipo^ K.lnumd An.lros (16<)2K>9S). 

King W, linn III. (1694- j,^^j ^^ ^^^^^^ (1698-1749). 

„ '' V' ,,-^o1-1^^ ]-nrd Albemarle (1719-1758). 

Queen .Anne (l/02-l<14). Francis Faunuier 1758-1768). 

King Ceorge I. (1(14-1(20. Lord Botetourt (1768-1772). 

King George It. (1727-1760). Lord Dunmore (1772-1776). 

Berkeley's second administration. 
A Period of Discontent. — The first act of Charles TI. 
in re^inrd to Virginia, was to confirm the election of 

■*Tlif Ipiitonant-ijovernors diirinT this period were: Herbfrt .loffries 
(1677): Henrv Chiohelev (1677 ]67«); Fr.incis Nicholson (1690 1692 and 
1698 1705): Edwnnl Nott (1705170')): Rdrnund ■rennin:rs (170^-1710); 
Robert Hunter ((1710): Alexander Spotswood (17101722); Hu!?h Drys- 
dale 17221726); Robert Cnrtpr (1726-1727); Willinm Goo h (1727- 
1749); .fohn Robinson, Sr. (1749-1750); Louis Burwell (1750-1752); 

Robert D'nwidd.e (1752-1758); .John Blair (1758); and Willi nn Nelson 

(1770 1772L 



92 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Berkeley, who had already accepted office from the 
House of Burgesses. Berkeley had been generally pop- 
ular during his first administration, and both he and 
Charles II. started out in 1660 with the confidence and 
good-will of the people. The Virginians had had no 
reason, except in the case of Harvey, to complain of 
royal government. By respecting their wishes, Charles 
I. had won their loyalty, and their refusal to take sides 
with Cromwell showed that they were satisfied. Their 
loyalty to Charles II. had won for Virginia the name 
"Old Dominion." and they were proud of the title. 

But neither Charles II. nor Berkeley, as we shall see, 
was worthy of such loyalty and confidence. Berkeley's 
second administration, lasting fifteen years, was a pe- 
riod of ever growing discontent. Neither king nor gov- 
ernor had the welfare of the colony at heart. Justices, 
sheriffs and ministers were given appointments with- 
out regard to their fitness ; the law was not enforced, the 
public money was misspent, and the church became cor- 
rupt. The Council was made up of Berkeley's Cavalier 
friends, and, with their aid, the governor managed to 
have things very much his own way. The king himself 
was responsible for two acts that caused perhaps as 
much dissatisfaction as anything Berkeley did. 

The Navigation Act. — The first of these acts was 
passed by Parliament in 1660, and was known as the 
Navigation Act. It was intended to give England con- 
trol of colonial trade, and required (1) that all tobacco 
shipped from Virginia should be sent to England in 
English ships, and (2) that all goods brought to Vir- 
ginia should be carried in English ships. This, of 
course, put an end to the trade which the colonists had 
carried on with other countries. By doing away with 
competition, it (1) made it impossible for the colonists 



SCHOOL lllSTOKY OF VIRGINIA 93 

to sell all of their tobacco when more was raised than 
could be used in England, (2) lowered the price of 
what was sold, and (8) raised the price of imported 
goods. 

Besides being the only crop raised for export, and 
therefore, the chief source of wealth, tobacco was at 
this time used almost entirely in the place of money in 
Virginia. Taxes, salaries and wages were paid in to- 
bacco, and with it the colonists bought groceries, cloth- 
ing, furniture — in fact, everything that we now buy 
with money. Thus the Navigation Act affected every- 
body, the blacksmith and the minister as well as the 
planter. The people had to exchaiige their tobacco at 
a lower price for imported articles at a higher price, 
and had to pay more for sending the tobacco to Eng- 
land, and more for bringing these articles to Virginia. 

The effect was, therefore, to destroy prosperity in the 
colony, thereby causing discontent and suffering. Ef- 
forts to have the act repealed having failed, there grew 
up a spirit of resistance and rebellion. The small far- 
mers and those receiving small salaries suffered most. 
Many found it hard to pay their taxes, and in Surry 
County there was talk of open rebellion. By 1667 the 
price of tobacco had fallen to a half-penny a pound, 
and a prominent Virginian, Meriting to a friend in Lon- 
don, declared that, "there were but three influences 
restraining the smaller landowners in Virginia from 
rising in rebellion, namely, faith in the mercy of God, 
loyalty to the king, and affection for the government." 

Law Against Quakers. — We have seen how Berkeley 
wished to drive the Puritans from Virginia. lie now 
had the House of Burgesses pass a law against Quakers, 
a number of whom had settled in the colony. Those 
ali'(vulv ill the colom- were to be sent awav, while anv 



94 acuooL aisTuuy of Virginia 

vessel bringing them to Virginia, or any person enter- 
taining tliein, was to be fined. It was declared that 
they taught lies and would try to destroy the govern- 
ment. 

The Long- Assembly. — In 1661, Avith the help of the 
members of the Council, Berkeley managed to secure 
the election of burgesses, a majority of whom were his 
friends and in sympathy with his ideas about popular 
government. He had accepled the governorship the 
year befoi'e with the understanding that he should call 
an assembly at least once in two years, which he was 
not to adjourn without the consent of a majority of the 
members. But he found this new House of Burgesses 
so much to his liking, that he decided to keep it together 
as long as possible, giving no heed to his promises. 
Though it was the custom to elect burgesses yearly, 
Berkeley did not permit another election to be held 
for fifteen years. 

Berkeley managed this "long assembly," as it came 
to be known, to suit himself, calling it togeiher jind ad- 
journing it at his own pleasure. Thus, for i\w first 
time in forty-two years, the people had no voice iii iheir 
government. The arrangement ])leased some of the 
Cavaliers well enough, but it was far from satisfactory 
to the colonists as a whole. Justices, sheriffs, bur- 
gesses and other officials, the governor's friends, ^\'ere 
given exorbitant salaries, and the people were taxed 
to pay them. Extra taxes were levied to provide firms, 
ammunition and forts, but it could be seen that much 
of the money was not used for this purpos<'. 

The Colonists Complain. — Seeing that the Bnrgc;ses 
no longer represented them, and that the "long ns-ciii- 
bly" was being used as a means for enriching the gov- 
ernor and his friends, the people demanded a neAv elec- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 95 

tion. This Berkeley refused on the ground that new 
burgesses, without experience, would not be as valuable 
as those already in office. Again complaint was made 
to Charles IT., but the king was too little interested in 
the matter to interfere. And so, to the discontent 
caused by the Navigation Act, w.is now added an even 
greater discontent. 

Arlington-Culpeper Grant. — In 1673, while the colo- 
nists were j^et in a rebellious spirit because of the Navi- 
gation Act and Berkeley's tyranny, the king gave fresh 
cause for complaint. To t^vo of his friends, the Earl of 
Arlington and Lord Culpeper, he gave "all that entire 
tract, territory, and dominion of land and water called 
Virginia, together with the territory of Accomvic," for 
a period of thirty-one years. Arlington and Culpeper, 
as proprietors, were to have all rents and escheats.* 
and could appoint all public officers. In short, they 
were to have entire control of the county and parish 
government. 

This grant having been made, of course, without con- 
sulting the Virginians, commissioners were at once sent 
to England to make protest. The king seemed surpris- 
ed to hear that the colonists would pay any attention 
to a matter of so "small importance." They stayed 
two years in England without getting anything more 
than the promise of a new charter for "the confirma- 
tion and settlement of all things." The matter was 
still under discussion when further trouble arose in 
Virginia. 

Virg'ii:iia in 1676.— In 1676, the frontier extended on 
a lino through Alexandria. Fredericksburg and Rich- 
mo^rl T'Te Tpdifins h?>d been forced b^ck. un+'l at this 

*\\'lioTi - miTi dips without Irnvinsr a will if he has no heirs to inherit 
his property, the land thnt he may have owned goes to the eovernment. 
Such a return of land to the government is railed an "escheat." 



96 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

time there were not more than 800 in the neighborhood 
of the colony. Of these, 400 lived along the Appomat- 
tox and Pamunkey rivers, and 200 between the York 
and Potomac. They were too few in number to give 
serious trouble. Indian attacks would have been done 
with, had it not been for the savages that came into 
Virginia from the north and west. The population had 
increased to 40,000 whites. 6,000 indentured servants 
and 2,000 negro slaves. Jamestown, the capital, was 
only a small village, containing, besides the state-house, 
church and tavern, about twenty houses. 

Tn spite of Berkeley 's misrule and the enforcement of 
the Navigation Act, the population had increased since 
1649 at the rate of more than 1,000 a year; but the 
groAvth and prosperity of the colony might have been 
greater under better management. A report made by 
the governor in 1671, sliowed that there were then 
twenty counties, forty-eight parishes, five forts and 
8,000 county militia, and that the price of a slave was 
about 4,500 pounds of tobacco. This report went on to 
say that the ministers were well paid "and by my con- 
sent should be better if they would pray oftener and 
preach less." In closing, the governor wrote: "But 
I thank God, there are no free schools and no printing, 
and 1 hope we shall not have these hundred years." 



QUESTIONS. 

1. What was the first act of Charles Tl. in regard to Virginia? 
flow did the colonists feel toward the king and governor? 
What was the general character of Berkeley's second admin- 
tration? 

2. What were the provisions of the Navigation Act? Tell four 
wavs in which it affected the colonists. Ask your teacher 
to "explain this. Why did it affect everybo.ly? What was 
the result? 

."?. What was the law against Quakers? 

4. Tell about the "long assembly." Why was it given this 
name? Whv did the governor not allow another election? 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 97 

What was the custom about electing burgesses? Why was the 
"long assembly" so unpopular? 

What reason did Berkeley give for noi calling a new election? 
What did the people do? What was the result of such tyr- 
anny ? 

What was the Arlington-Culpeper Grant? Why was it un- 
just? What rights were given the proprietors? Tell about 
the commissioners thnt went to England. 
Tell about Virginia in 1676. What did Berkeley say in his 
report in 1671? 

Name four things that caused discontent during Berkeley's 
second administration. 

Find on the map, (1) Appomattox Eiver, (2) Fredericks- 
burg. Richmond, Alexandria, (3) Stafford County. 



BACON S REBELLION. 

Indians Give Trouble. — For the first time since 1644, 
the Indians were giving trouble. These were not Pow- 
hatans, however, but members of northern tribes that 
had roamed as far south as Virginia. The trouble 
stai-ted early in the summer of 1675, when several In- 
dians were killed for stealing some pigs from a settler 
living in Stafford County. The county lieutenant of 
Stafford and Colonel John Washington, great-grand- 
father of George Washington, led their troops against 
the Indians along the Potomac, but were unable to hold 
them back. Coming from Maryland, the savages began 
to threaten the frontier from the Potomac to the James. 
In a single day, in January, 1676, thirty-six people Avere 
murdered in a radius of ten miles. 

The country swarmed with painted savages, who 
throughout the winter terrorized the settlers with tom- 
ahawk, scalping-knife and torch. ' Almost daily there 
Avere reports of homes burned and of wives and chil- 
dren slaughtered. The governor Avas asked to call out 
special troops to aid Colonel Washington, but Berkeley 
replied that nothing could be done until the regular 
meeting of the House of Burgesses. He insisted that 



98 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

the county militia and frontier forts should afford pro- 
tection enough anyhow. Such neglect of the safety of 
the colonists Avas criminal, and this, together with what 
they had already suffered at the hands of Berkeley and 
Charles II., so enraged the people, that they were ready 
to take up arms against the king's government in Vir- 
ginia. Many believed that the governor's real reason 
for not sending troops against the Indians was, that he 
feared that the rich fur trade which he was carrying 
on wi^h them would be broken up. 

Nathaniel Bacon. — At length, in March, 1676, the 
House of Burgesses met, and it was voted to raise an 
artny of 500 men to reinforce the county militia against 
the Indians. But before the troops could get away from 
Jamestown, Berkeley ordered that they be disbanded; 
he still insisted that the forts and militia were protec- 
tion enough. 

Living at Curl's Neck, twenty miles below Richmond 
on the James River, was a young m.an named Nathaniel 
Bacon,* a member of the Council. Bacon, then only 
thirty years old, was popular with the neighboring 
planters, being noted for his bravery, cordial manners, 
lenrning and eloquence. On hearnig of what the gov- 
ernor had done, this young planter declared: "If the 
redskins meddle with me, damn my blood but I'll harry 
them, commission or no commission I" 

Bacon had another .plantation farther up the river, 
near the site of Richmond. In May, 1676, news came 
that the Indians had attacked this plantation, killing 
the overseer and a servant. Gathering immediately a 
small party of his neighbors. Bacon sent to the Gov- 
ernor for a commission to punish the savages. Ber- 
keley delayed in granting the commission, whereupon 

*See appendix A. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 99 

Bacon, taking matters into his own hands, marched 
against the Indians and defeated them. This act mark- 
ed the beginning of wbat is known as Bacon's Rebel- 
lion. 

New House of Burgesses. — Berkeley was angry, and 
started out with a small force to arrest Bacon. But 
learning that the people of Henrico, New Kent and 
Charles City counties were ready to join in a general 
uprising, he returned to Jamestown, dissolved the 
"long assembly," and ordered a new election. He 
thought that this would prevent further trouble. Bacon 
became a candidate from Henrico County, and was 
elected by a big majority. When he with thirty of his 
followers went to Jamestown, they were arrested and 
taken before the governor. Berkeley agreed to make 
out a commission if Bacon would apologize for what he 
had done, and with this understanding the prisoners 
were released. 

Work of the New Assembly. — The new assembly met 
in the tAvo-story brick state house, the Burgesses using 
the second floor and the Council the first floor. The 
governor had few friends among the new burgesses, 
and this body promptly set about to undo some of the 
acts of the "long assembly." Before the time of the 
"long assembly," vestrymen were elected by the peo- 
ple and every freeman could vote for burgesses, but in 
1662 a law had been passed allowing the vestrymen 
to fill their own vacancies, while in 1670 it had been 
enacted that only those owning a certain amount of 
property could vote for burgesses. The new assembly, 
therefore, repealed these two laws, restoring to every 
man the right to vote, and requiring vestrymen to be 
elected by the people of the parish. Besides this, laws 
were passed requiring councillors to pay their share of 



100 SCHOOL HISTOET OF VIRGINIA 

the taxes, forbiddiug one person to hold two offices at 
the same time, and providing for an army of 1,000 men. 
Bacon Gets a Commission. — Bacon remained at 
Jamestown attending to his duties as burgess, but still 
Berkeley did not sign the promised commission. At 
length, believing that the governor was planning 
treachery, one of Bacon's friends advised him that it 
might not be safe to stay within such easy reach of his 
enemies. Quietly leaving Jamestown in the night. 




therefore, Bacon went to his home at Curl's Neck, and 
there raised an army of 600 men: he intended to force 
Berkeley to make out the commission. Arriving at the 
capital one afternoon in June, he halted his troops in 
front of the state-house. Great excitement prevailed. 
The upper windows of the state-house were filled with 
burgesses eager to see what would happen, and crowds 
of expectant townspeople stood about the green. When 
Bacon and a few of his men started toward the build- 
ing, the angry old governor rushed Out, and, throw- 
ing open his shirt-front, exclaimed : "Here I am ! shoot 
me! 'Fore God. a fair mark, a fair mark — shoot!" 



SCHOOL EISTOliY OF VIRGINIA 101 

Bacon replied that he had not come to harm the gov- 
ernor, but to get a commission to fight the Indians, and 
that he would not leave until he got it. Thereupon the 
assembly drew up a letter to the king telling of the 
troubles in the colony, and made out a commission for 
Bacon, both of which Berkeley signed the following 
day. The assembly then adjourned. 

Berkeley Goes to Eastern Shore. — Bacon immediately 
started into the forests with a force of 1,000 men in 
pursuit of the Indians. Within four weeks all of the 
country north of the James had been cleared of the 
savages. But the governor had not been idle at James- 
town. Having raised a force of 1,200 men, he declared 
Bacon a rebel and traitor and set out to capture him. 
Hearing of the Governor's action. Bacon, who was then 
in the neighborhood of the North Anna River, marched 
to meet Berkeley at IMiddle Plantation, where Williams- 
burg now stands. Berkeley's troops had little notion 
of fighting, however, and as Bacon's army approached, 
the governor found himself deserted by all but a 
few of his men. Unable to raise another army, even 
in Gloucester, his most loyal county, he fled to the East- 
ern Shore and fortified himself in a settlement on Onan- 
cock Creek. 

Oath of Middle Plantation. — ^Halting his army at 
Middle Plantation, Bacon called a meeting of the most 
influential planters to decide what action should be 
taken against the governor. He felt that a great wrong 
had been done himself, his men and his friends in being 
declared traitors and rebels by the very man who had 
signed his commission. William Drummond, one of 
Bacon's friends, thought that Berkeley should be made 
to give up the governorship, but Bacon did not like this 
plan. Instead, he drew up a paper to be sent to the 



102 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

king, demanding that Berkeley and all who had taken 
sides with him be arrested and kept at Middle Planta- 
tion. This he asked those present to sign. 

Though all were willing not to aid Berkeley, some 
did not favor the idea of taking up arms against him, 
fearing that after all the king might sympathize with 
the governor and send troops to fight for him. The 
discussion thus lasted all day and far into the night, 
and but for a sudden Indian scare might have gone on 
much loijger. Seeing the need of prompt action, those 
who had hesitated now came forward and signed. This 
agreement, (1) not to aid Berkeley, and (2) to fight 
against him if necessary, was called the Oath of Middle 
Plantation. 

Berkeley Returns to Jamestown. — After the meeting 
at Middle Plantation, Bacon led his army across the 
James River and defeated the Appomattox Indians near 
the present site of Petersburg. Throughout the month 
of August this warfare against the savages was kept 
up, and by the beginning of September every home in 
the colony was safe. Having defeated and scattered 
the Indians, it was now Bacon's purpose to hold out 
against Berkeley until the king should send an answer 
to the paper drawn up at Middle Plantation. 

In the meantime, Berkeley had been raising an army 
on the Eastern Shore and along the lower James. By 
promising to all who would join him the plantations of 
Bacon's followers, and by offering to indentured servants 
the estates of their masters, he managed to get together 
about 1,000 men. Hearing of this. Bacon sent a small 
fleet to capture the governor, but through treachery the 
vessels fell into the hands of Philip Ludwell, one of 
Berkeley's officers. The governor then sailed up James 
River and took possession of Jamestown, which he for- 



SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIBGINIA 103 

tified by building a breastwork across the narrow neck 
of the peninsula. 

Bacon Bums Jamestown. — Bacon, who had been for 
sometime at West Point, now marched toward James- 
town. Making his headquarters at Green Spring, the 
governor's mansion, he built another breastwork paral- 
lel to Berkeley's, and laid siege to Jamestown. It is 
said that he captured the wives of some of the men who 
were with Berkeley, dressed them in white, and then 
placing them on the breastworks, sent word to the gov- 
ernor to fire if he dared. This, the only ungentlemanly 
or cowardlj^ act recorded of the gallant young Bacon, 
we might gladly wish untrue. 

Finally, Jamestown was captured, and Berkeley 
again fled to the Eastern Shore, leaving the town com- 
pletely at Bacon's mercy. Some of the governor's fol- 
lowers were sent to prison, the estates of a few were 
plundered, and Jamestown was burned to the ground. 
Among the houses destroj^ed were the homes of Richard 
Lawrence and William Drummond, two of Bacon's best 
friends, while his cousin, Nathaniel Bacon, Sr., lost 
property worth 1,000 pounds sterling. 

Death of Bacon. — From JamestoAvn, Bacon marched 
into Gloucester County, where many of the people were 
in sympathy with Berkeley. But the end of the rebel- 
lion was not far off. Shortly after reaching Gloucester, 
he was taken ill with a severe fever, and on October 1. 
1676, at the house of a friend, Mr. Pate, he died. The 
funeral was held secretly to keep Berkeley from get- 
ting the body. It is not known where he was buried, 
but it is probable that the coffin was sunk in the York 
River. 

With Bacon's death, the rebellion was at an end. 
Berkeley returned to Green Spring, and there took up 



104 SCHOOL BISTORT OF VIRGINIA 

the Avork of capturing and punisliing those who had 
fought against him. As many as twenty-three of the 
followers of Bacon were put to death. Richard Law- 
rence escaped and was not heard of again. The case 
of William Drummond is a fair example of the cruelty 
of the governor in dealing with these men. When 
Drummond was brought before him, the old tyrant, re- 
ceiving him with a low bow, exclaimed, "Aha! you are 
very welcome. 1 would rather see you just now than 
any other man in Virginia. Mr. Drummond, you shall 
be hanged in half an hour ! " " What your honor 
pleases," replied Drummond. He was hanged that 
same afternoon. 

Berkeley Removed. — In January, 1677, commission- 
ers and a regiment of soldiers arrived from England. 
The commissioners had authority to try rebels, but 
Berkeley had left little for them to do. In the gov- 
ernor's punishment of Bacon's followers, however, there 
had been no trial of any sort ; he condemned to death 
whom he pleased. Neither the House of Burgesses nor 
the commissioners approved of such wholesale ven- 
geance. The commissioners sent to the king a fair re- 
port of the blood-thirsty cruelty of the old tyrant, to 
which were added numerous complaints from the 
friends of those who had been hanged. Even Charles 
II., himself inclined to be tyrannical, did not approve 
of such high-handed conduct. Said he, "As I live, the 
old fool has put to death more people in that naked 
country than I did here for the murder of my father!" 

The king ordered the removal of Berkeley, and Sir 
Herbert Jeffries, one of the commissioners, was made 
lieutenant-governor. On April 27, 1677, Berkeley sail- 
ed for England, hoping to explain matters to the king 
and be sent back to Virginia, but in July he fell sick 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 105 

and died. His departure was joyfully celebrated iu the 
eolouy with bonfires and the firing of camion. Thus 
came to an end the longest and most oppressive admin- 
istration of any governor that had ruled in Virginia 
since the founding of the colony. 

Bacon's Cause. — Bacon's Rebellion may be divided 
into two periods, the first before, the second after the 
Oath of Middle Plantation. Bacon did not treat Ber- 
keley as an enemy until after the latter proclaimed him 
and his men rebels and traitors ; before that time he 
had been interested only in getting a commission to 
fight the Indians. During the first period his army was 
made up of men of all classes, but after the Oath of 
Middle Plantation, it was made up more largely from 
the poorer classes. These men. with no voice in the 
government and oppressed and discouraged by heavy 
taxation, found in Bacon a leader fully in sympathy 
with their troubles. Altogether it was a war, not 
against the king, but against English tyranny as prac- 
tised by a colonial governor, for Bacon believed that 
Charles 11. "svould not uphold Berkeley after the griev- 
ances of the colonists were fully made known to him. 
It Avas the first armed attempt at liberty in America. 



QUESTIONS. 
How did the Indian troubles start in 167.5? How many- 
years since there had been such trouble? Who tried to drive 
the savages back? Where did the;/^ come from? Why did 
the governor refuse to send si^eciai troops? What was the 
result of his refusal? 

How did Berkeley show his unwillingness to protect the col- 
onists against the Indians? Who was Nathaniel Bacon? 
What did Bacon do in May, lfi76? 

Why was Berkeley angry? Why did he order a new elec- 
tion? From what county was Bacon elected? Tell about 
his arrest and release. 

What were some of the things the new assembly did? What 
two laws hid the "long assembly" made that were especially 
objectionable? 



106 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



5. How did Bacon finally get a commission? Why did he not 
go on and fight the Indians without a commission? 

6. What did Berkeley do while Bacon was away from James- 
town? What did Bacon do when he heard of this? Where 
did Berkeley go? 

7. Why did Bacon call a meeting of the planters? What was 
the Oath of Middle Plantation? Where was Middle Planta- 
tion? 

8. What did Bacon do after the Oath of Middle Plantation? 
How did Berkeley raise an army? What did Bacon do when 
he heard that the governor was raising an army? 

9. Tell about the siege of Janiestown. What happened after 
the capture of Jamestown? 

10. Where did Bacon next go and why? Tell about his death. 
How long had it been ^ince he first defeated the Indians? 
Tell about Berkeley's treatment of Bacon's followers. 

11. What did the commissioners and burgesses think of the gov- 
ernor's action? What did the king say? Who was ap- 
pointed to succeed Berkeley? How did people feel about 
Berkeley's departure? 

12. Into what two periods may the rebellion be divided? What 
class of men fought with Bacon during the second period? 
Why? Against what were they fighting, and for what? 

1.3. Find on the map, (1) Petersburg, (2) Williamsburg, (.3) 
Onancock, (4) Gloucester County, (.5) We.st Point. 



SOME IMPORTANT CHANGES. 

Lord Culpeper. — In 1677, Jeffries was succeeded by 
Sir Henry Chicheley, and the following year Lord Cul- 
peper became governor of Virginia. Culpeper was a 
fair type of the men appointed to the governorship dur- 
ing the one hundred years following Bacon's Rebellion. 
As a rule, the governors of this period cared little for 
the welfare of the colony : they were selfish and greedy, 
and frequently used their office as a means for adding 
to their private fortunes. Several of them did not 
come to Virginia at all, being represented in the colony 
by a lieutenant-governor. 

The main political events from 1676 to 1776, there- 
fore, were the contests between the governors and the 
people. The Virginians, far from surrendering every- 



SCHOOL BISTOUY OF VIBGINIA 107 

thing to the king after Bacon's Rebellion, were always 
ready to oppose any act of oppression. 

A New Requirement. — Bacon's followers had shown 
a spirit which Charles II. did not like, and he decided to 
keep a closer watch upon the House of Burgesses. Not 
only did he refuse to issue the liberal charter for "the 
confirmation and settlement of all things," which he 
had promised; but he now required that all new laws 
should first be drawn up by the governor and Council 
and sent to him for approval, before the Burgesses 
might vote on them. Furthermore, the unpopular acts 
of the "long assembly," which had been repealed by 
Bacon's assembly, were now put into force again. 

Beginning of Towns. — At this time there were no 
toAvns in Virginia. Except at Jamestown, which had 
been rebuilt by Lord Culpeper, there were nowhere in 
the colony as many as ten houses together. To en- 
courage the building of towns, therefore, the House of 
Burgesses, in 1680, passed a law requiring all planters, 
instead of shipping from their private Avharves, to take 
their tobacco to public wharves. It was provided that 
there should be one such wharf, or port, in each county, 
with an adjoining town-site. This law, which was re- 
enacted a few years later in the Act for Ports, further 
required the planter on whose land the town was to be 
built, to sell to the county for 1,000 pounds of tobacco 
a site of fifty acres to be laid off in half-acre lots. The 
profit from the sale of lots went to the county. Nor- 
folk, Hampton, Onancock, Yorktown, Smithfield and 
other eastern Virginia towns had their beginning in 
til is way. 

The Tobacco Insurrection. — The law for creating 
towns was not liked. Nearly every planter had his 
private wharf, but. whether convenient or not. he had 



108 SCHOOL EISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 

to use the public wharf, or pay a fine of 1,000 pounds 
of tobacco. Furthermore, a tax of tAvo shillings per 
hogshead was levied on all tobacco shipped from these 
wharves. The Navigation Act was still in force, and 
now this tax reduced the planter's profits, already small 
enough, to almost nothing. 

As the crop had been very heavy for several years 
and much could not be sold, the House of Burgesses was 
asked, in 1682, to order that no tobacco be planted that 
year, in order that what was then on hand might be 
got rid of at a better price. This request not being 
heeded, the planters took matters into their own hands: 
they decided to destroy the young plants. Parties of 
men went from one plantation to another, and, with 
or without the owner's consent, destroyed crops that 
would have amounted to more than 10,000 hogsheads. 
In Gloucester County alone more than 200 plantations 
were laid waste. This was called the Tobacco Insur- 
rection, and had finally to be stopped by the militia. 
Culijeper caused six of the leaders to be hanged. 

Lord Howard. — In lfi84, Culpeper was removed from 
office and Lord Howard sent to be governor of Virginia. 
In exchange for the territory known as the Northern 
Neck and a yearly pension of 600 pounds sterling, Cul- 
peper now gave up his claims as proprietor of the rest 
of Virginia. 

Howard was thoroughly selfish and dishonest; his 
administration was noted for its tyranny. Like Har- 
vey, he wished to levy taxes without consulting the 
House of Burgesses. He would not tell how he spent 
the public revenues, sent men to jail without trial, and 
even went so far as to try to repeal the acts of the 
assemblv. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 109 

Changes in England. — In 1685, Charles IT. died, and 
was succeeded by his brother, the Duke of York, who 
became James II. James reigned but four years. He 
M'^as far more corrupt and tyrannical than Charles had 
been, and, in 1688, war broke out. He was driven from 
the throne and the crown Avas given to William and 
Mary of Orange. This change resulted for the better in 
Virginia as well as in England. Howard now decided 
to make his home in England, and, in 1690, Frances 
Nicholson was sent over as lieutenant-governor. Nichol- 
son, though fiery and harsh in manner, was honest and 
a man of ability, and his presence was a great relief to 
the Virginians after Culpeper and Howard. 

Sir Edmund Andros. — In 1692, Howard gave up the 
governorship, and Sir Edmund Andros was appointed 
as his successor. Andros' administration, lasting six 
years, was marked by the founding of William and 
Mary College, in 1693, at Williamsburg. The founder 
and first president of the college was James Blair, a 
Scotch clergyman, who had been appointed, in 1689, 
Commissioner of the Church in Virginia. He was a man 
of learning and character, and became a member of the 
Council. For many years he devoted himself to the 
improvement of religious and political conditions in 
Virginia. Andros was strongly opposed to the estab- 
lishment of a college, doing all in his power to defeat 
Blair's plans, and it was through the latter 's influence 
that lie was removed from office in 1698. 

Capital Removed to Williamsburg. — ^ Andros' succes- 
sor was George Hamilton, Earl of Orkney. Though 
holding office for nearly fifty years, this governor never 
came to Virginia. He lived comfortably at home on a 
yearly salary of 1,200 pounds sterling, while the affairs 
of the colony were administered by a lieutenant-go v- 



no 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



ernor. The fii'st of his representatives was Francis 
Nicholson, who since 1692 had been in Maryland. 
Shortly after Nicholson took charge, Jamestown was 
again destroyed by fire. On account of the unhealth- 
ful condition of the peninsu- 
la, the town was not rebuilt 
a second time, and in 1699 
he capital was removed to 
Williamsburg.* Nothing" now 
remains of Jamestown but 
the ruins of the old church 
tower, a few crumbling foun- 
dations, and some moss-cov- 
ered tombstones. 

Post Offices Established.— 
By the year 1700, there were 
nearly 75,000 people in Vir- 
ginia, including as many as 
10.000 negro slaves, and 
twenty-five counties had been 
formed. The large and grow- 
ing population, scattered as 
it was over a wide territory, 
made it necessary that there 
sliould be some means of 
sending letters from one 
county to another. In 1703, 
therefore, a system of post 
offices was established. A central office was located at 
Williamsburg, with a branch office in each county. The 
postage on a letter — there were neither newspapers nor 
magazines then — was about three cents for a distance 




speaker's chair, house of 
burgesses, '1700 



♦Williamsburg rontinued the capital of Virginia until 1780, when 
the seat of government was removed to Richmond, where it has since 
remained without change. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 111 

uot exceeding eighty miles. A few years later, in 1710, 
a mail route was established between Williamsburg and 
Philadelphia, with one mail each way every two weeks. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. What was the general character of the governors during the 
hundred years following Bacon 's Rebellion ? What were the 
main political events of this perio<l? 

2. What new requirenient did Charles II. make about laws in 
the colony? Why? 

3. What law did the House of Burgesses pass in 1680? What 
was its object? Name some of the oldest towns in Virginia. 

4. What was the Tobacco Insurrection? What caused it? How 
was it put down? 

5. Tell what you know about Lord HoMard. Like what other 
governor did he behave? 

6. What changes took place in England about this time? 

7. What event marked the administration of Andros? Who 
was James Blair? 

8. What caused the capital to be removed from Jamestown? 
When? Why was Williamsburg chosen? Who was the Earl 
of Orkney? 

9. Wh^t was the population of Virginia in 1700? How many 
count'es? Tell about the fir-^t po-.t offices in Virginia. 

10. Find on the map (1) Norfolk, (2) Yorktown, (3) Hampton, 
(4) Onancock, (5) Williamsburg. 

11. Find in Appendix B the counties that were formed between 
1676 and 1700, and locate them on the map. 



THE COLONY GROWS. 

Alexander Spotswood. — After Nicholson, who left 
Virginia in 1705, the Earl of Orkney was represented 
in the colony by Edward Nott, Edmund Jennings and 
Robert Hunter. His most prominent representative at 
any time, however, was Alexander Spotswood,* who 
became lieutenant-governor in 1710. Spotswood, at 
this time a man of middle age, was thoroughly honest, 
active and public-spirited. He took a sincere interest 

*See Appendix A. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



in the welfare of the colony, and, though he did not 
alM^ays get along smoothly with the House of Burgesses, 
was generally liked by the people. 

His first act upon arriving at Williamsburg was to 
establish in Virginia the right of Habeas Corpjis, the 
object of which 
is to prevent un- 
j u s t imprison- 
ment. He obtain- 
ed from the 
House of Bur- 
gesses 1,0 00 
pounds sterling 
to assist Presi- 
dent Blair in re- 
building William 
and Mary Col- 
lege, which had 
been burned in 
1705. His inter- 
est in education 
led him to found 
at Fort Christan- 
na, in what is 
now Southamp- 
ton C o u n t y, a 
school for In- 
dians. 

First Iron Fur- 
nace. — At Fort Germanna, on the Rapidan River. 
Spotswood built the first furnace for smelting iron in 
America. At Massaponax, not far from Germanna, he 
erected a plant for making stove backs, andirons and 
cooking utensils. Believing that grapes could be grown 




ALEXANDER SPOTSWOOD 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 113 

profitably in Virginia, \\e planted in the neighborhood 
of Germanna extensive vineyards for the manufacture 
of wine. A number of German families, skilled in iron- 
working and wine-making, were brought over to carry 
on this work. This Avas the beginning of the first Ger- 
man settlement in Virginia.* 



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\1KG1NIA IN 1702- — SHADED PCKrlON SHOWliMG SKTTLi<;Mt!;NTS 



The Valley Explored. — Up to this time, few families 
had gone to live in the country west of what is now 
Richmond. The region between the Falls of the James 
and the mountains was largely an unexplored wilder- 
ness. A few settlers had taken up land along the 
James, Rappahannock and Appomattox rivers, and 
perhaps a very few had pushed as far as the foot of the 
Blue Ridge, but no white man had been known to cross 
these mountains into the great Shenandoah Valley. 

*Among these Germans are found such names as Kemper, Utterback, 
HoflFman, Weaver and Toons. They fame from Westphalia. 



114 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

]n 1716, Spotswood decided to explore the country 
M-est of the lilue Ridge. With some chosen men, he 
went from Williamsburg as far as Germanna by coach. 
From Germanna, the party traveled on horseback a- 
long the Rappahannock River, and after five weeks, 
reached Swift Run Gap. Crossing the mountains at 
this point, they continued their journey to the western 
bank of the Shenandoah River, where they took pos- 
session of the country in the name of the king. The 
return to Williamsburg was made in three weeks, the 
expedition having covered a total distance of 440 miles 
in eight weeks. To each of his companions Spotswood 
gave a small golden horseshoe as a souvenir of the 
expedition, and from this incident sprang the order 
of "Knights of the Golden Horseshoe." 

Spotswood Removed. — In 1722, through the influ- 
ence and efforts of James Blair, Spotswood was re- 
moved from the governorship. His removal Avas the 
result of his interference in the matter of appointing 
ministers. There were at that time many vacant 
parishes in Virginia, and Spotswood undertook to ap- 
point ministers to fill them without consulting Blair 
and the vestries. This offended Blair, who was Com- 
missioner of the Church in Virginia. 

Spotswood now went to live at Germanna, in the 
neighborhood of which he had obtained grants of 
land amounting to about 85,000 acres. Altogether 
he had made a good governor and his administration 
had been a period of great prosperity in Virgin -a. 
Besides establishing Indian schools and factories for 
making iron, he helped commerce hy driving the pirates 
from the Chesapeake Bay and the Virginia coast On 
one expedition which he sent against these pirates. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 115 

their leader, the notorious Blackboard, and many of 
his followers were killed. 

Boundary Dispute With North Carolina. — Spotswood 
was succeeded by Hugh Drysdale, who, after four 
years, was followed by Robert Carter as lieutenant-gov- 
ernor. In 1727, 
William Gooch 
was sent to rep- 
resent the Earl 
of Orkney, and 
he continued in 
Virginia until 
Orkney 's remo- 
val in 1749. Du- 
ring the first 
'^^^^^^^H^i^^,i,^_i,^^^^^^^^^^| of Gooch 's 

administration, a 
dispute arose be- 
tween Virginia 
and North Caro- 
lina over the 
boundary be- 
tween the two 
colonies. Each 
claimed a strip 
of land which 
neither was will- 
wiLUAii BVKD ing to give up. 

The matter was 
finally settled by a board of commissioners, the divid- 
ing line being surveyed by William Byrd* in 1727. 

Richmond and Petersburg.— In 1733, through the ef- 
forts of William Byrd, the towns of Richmond and 

*See Appendix A. 




116 SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 

Petersburg were laid out. Richjnond, named for the 
town of Richmond in England, was first chartered in 
1742. The Virginia Gazette, the first ncAVspaper in Vir- 
ginia, established in 1736 at Williamsburg, contained 
in one of its first issues an advertisement of Richmond 
lots. Byrd, on whose land the town was originally 
built, offered the lots at a reasonable price, provided 
a house twenty-four by sixteen feet should be erected 
within three years. 

Settlement of the Valley. — All of the country west 
of Fredericksburg, including the Valley, was at first 
made a part of Essex County. Four years later, in 1720, 
Essex was divided, the western part being organized as 
Spottsylvania County. The report made by Spots wood 
of the fertile country beyond the mountains attracted 
attention to the Valley, and it was not long before set- 
tlers began to move into that part of Virginia. Joyst 
Hite, who came from Pennsylvania in 1732 and took up 
land near the present site of Winchester, is thought to 
have been the first white man to make his home in the 
Valley. After 1732, however, hundreds of Scotch-Irish; 
Germans and English took up grants of land there, and 
in 1738 the first Valley counties were organized. These 
were Augusta and Frederick. 

Virginia in 1750. — Gooch's administration, lasting 
twenty-tAvo years, was a period of such growth in pop- 
ulation and wealth as the colony had at no time before 
experienced. The settled area more than doubled. It 
included all of the country east of the mountains, much 
of the Valley and some of what is now West Virginia. 
By 1750, forty-two counties had been organized, and 
the population had increased to 260.000, of whom 120,- 
000 were negroes. There had come to be many large 
estates and plantations, some containing as many as 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 117 

100,000 acres. With the increase in the size of land 
grants, the slave population grew more rapidly after 
1700. There were still many indentured servants in 
Virginia, but these Avere greatly outnumbered by the 
iiogroes. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Who was Alexander Spotswood? What kind of man was he? 
Name some of the things he did 50on after he came to Vir- 
ginia. Ask your teacher to explain the meaning of Habeas 
Corpus. 

2. Where was the first iron furnace bu'lt? When? How did 
the first Germans happen to come t" Virginia? 

3. Tell about Spotswood 's expedition a.noss the Blue Ridge. 

4. When was Spotswood removed? Through whose influence? 
Why? Name some of the things he did for the good of the 
colony. 

5. How long was Gooch lieutenant-governor? What was the 
disnute between Virginia and North Carolina? How was it 
settled? 

6. Tell fibout the foimd-ng of R-chmond and Petersburg. What 
was the first newspaper in Virginia? 

7. Who was the first settler in the Valley? When? Where did 
the Valley settlers come from? Whut and when were the first 
counties formed in the Valley? 

8. What sort of period was Gooch's administration? Tell about 
the popiilation and extent of Virginia in 17.50. What 
caused the number of slaves to increase more rapidly after 
1700? 

9. Find on the ma^i, (1) Ranidan River, (2) Spottsylvania 
County, (3) Southampton County, (4) Swift Run Gap, (5) 
Shenandoph River, C6) Winche;ter. 

10. Find in Appendix B the counties that were formed between 
1700 and 1750, and locate them on the map. 



THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 

French and English Claims.— Tn 1750, both France 
and England claimed North America. England, with 
thii-teen colonies* in the region between the Alleghany 

*The thirteen colonies were: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecti- 
cut. Rhode Island, New York, New .lersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, 
Delaware. Virsinia. North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Next 
to Virginia, New York was the oldest, and Georgia, established in 1732, 
was the youngest. 



118 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



Mountains and the Atlantic coast, based her claim on 
the discoveries of the Cabots. The French, on the other 
hand, with settlements around the Great Lakes and 
along the Mississippi and St. Lawrence rivers, claimed 
all territory drained by these rivers because of explora- 
tion. 

The French, who were interested in the country for 
trading purposes only, made a point of keeping on good 
terms with the Indians. The English, whose purpose 



.'^iH 


^sO/ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^§ 


p-^^^^ 



VIRGINIA IN 3 729 — SHADED PORTION SHOWING SETTLEMENTS 

it was to make their homes in the colonies permanently, 
had driven the Indians back as they pushed their set- 
tlements Avestward. Thus it happened that the Indians 
became friends and allies of the French and enemies of 
the English. 

The French and Virg-inia. — France and England had 
been at war in Europe almost continuously since 1689. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 119 

This led to fighting in America between the colonists 
from the two countries. In 1697, the French had built 
a chain of sixty forts along the Mississippi and St. Law- 
rence to keep the English out of the region drained by 
those rivers. In 1749, they decided to build a new line 
of forts farther east and take possession of the country 
along the Ohio River. 

Some of these forts were to be in territory claimed by 
Virginia, in what is now West Virginia and western 
Pennsylvania. The Ohio Company, a land company 
composed of Virginians, had recently been granted a 
tract of half a million acres in this region. On hearing 
of what the French were doing, Robert Dinwiddle, the 
representative of Lord Albemarle as lieutenant-gov- 
ernor, decided to send a messenger to inform the 
French commander that Virginia claimed the Ohio 
River country. He selected for this duty George Wash- 
ington,* a native of Westmoreland County. 

Washing'ton's Journey. — Washington, whose home 
was at Mount Vernon on the Potomac River, was at 
this time only twenty-one years old. The year before, 
he had been appointed a major in the Virginia militia, 
prior to which he had served as surveyor for Culpeper 
County. At the early age of sixteen, he had been em- 
ployed by Lord P'airfax, a gentleman living in Freder- 
ick County, as surveyor of his estate. 

Leaving Williamsburg late in October, 1753, Wash- 
ington traveled by way of Fredericksburg and Win- 
chester to Wills Creek, in Cumberland County. From 
this point, his path lay through an unbroken, trackless 
wilderness, with neither roads nor bridges. Winter 
had set in, and the journey became not only difficult, 
but at times perilous. With seven companions, he push- 

*See Appendix A. 



120 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

ed on over snow-covered mountains and across swollen 
rivers to the junction of the Alleghany and Mononga- 
hela rivers, where Pittsburg now stands. Proceeding 
up the AUegliany River, the party came, on December 
4, to Fort Venango, where Dinwiddie's letter was deliv- 
ered to the French commander. The Frenchman was 
civil enough, but he made it clear to Washington that his 
forces intended to hold that territory. Having gather- 




MT. VERNON, HOME OF WASHINGTON 



ed much valuable information about the number and 
strength of the enemy's forts in the country around 
Venango, Washington hastened back to Williamsburg 
to report to the governor. 

Capture of Fort Necessity. — The following year, 1754, 
Dinwiddie sent some men to build a fort at the Forks 
of the Ohio, and Washington was ordered to follow 
with a company of riflemen to hold the French back 
while the work was in progress. Before Washington 
could arrive, however, those engaged on the fort were 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 121 

driven off by the French and Indians, who built a 
stockade which became known as Port Duquesne. 
Learning of what had happened, he halted his riflemen 
at Great Meadows, forty miles south of Fort Duquesne, 
and there built Fort Necessity. This was at length be- 
sieged by the French and Indians in overwhelming 
numbers, but the little garrison managed to hold out 
until the enemy would agree to allow thom to return 
in safety to Virginia. The capture of Fort Necessity 
marked the beginning of Virginia's part in the struggle 
known as the French and Indian war . 

England Sends Troops. — It was now evident that a 
strong force would be needed to regain and hold the 
Qhio country from the French. The Virginia assembly, 
therefore, gave a large sum of money to provide men 
and supplies, and, early in 1755, the English govern- 
ment sent over General Edwa;rd Braddock and two reg- 
iments of regular troops to aid the Virginians. 

Landing at Alexandria, Braddock began to make 
ready an expedition against Fort Duquesne. It was his 
intention, after capturing that stronghold, to push on 
up the Alleghany River to Fort Venango and Fort Le 
Boeuf, driving the enemy back to the Great Lakes. 
Winchester, at that time the largest town west of the 
Blue Ridge Mountains, was chosen as the place from 
which the expedition would start, and three months 
were spent in collecting horses, wagons and provisions 
for the journey. The two regiments of regulars, num- 
bering 1,000 men, were reinforced by the addition of 
several companies of Virginia riflemen commanded by 
Washington, and in May the army, mustering in all 
about 1.500, began its march westward. 

Braddock 's Advance.^The route lay by way of Fort 
Cumberland and Great Meadows, through a dense wil- 



122 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

derness and over two chains of high, rugged mountains. 
A road had to be cut the greater part of the way and 
progress was slow, so slow, indeed, that Braddock left 
Colonel Dunbar and several hundred men to follow 
with the baggage, Avhile the main body of troops pushed 
forward at a more rapid rate. Refusing to listen to the 
advice of Washington, who was serving as a member 
of his staff, the general made no effort to avoid the 
danger of a sudden and unexpected attack by the 
Indians. He marched his men recklessly along in solid 
column, with drums beating and colors flying — an easy 
mark for the crafty Indians and Frenchmen of the 
backwoods. 

Braddock 's Defeat. — On July 9 the army crossed the 
Monongahcla River, ten miles from Port Duquesne, 
the regulars leading the advance. Up to this time 
hardly an Indian had been seen. Less than a mile be- 
yond, however, where the undergrowth formed a dense 
thicket, the English suddenly found themselves sur- 
rounded hy hundreds of painted, yelling savages. 
Taken by surprise and huddled together like sheep, the 
regulars were helpless and were shot down by the 
score. While Washington and the Virginians scattered 
and fought from behind trees, Indian fashion, Brad- 
dock and his officers tried bravely but in vain to rally 
their men for an effective stand in the open. Such 
tactics had been fit for the open country of Europe, but 
not for the American wilderness. For two hours the 
terrible slaughter went on. Nearly 600, including sixty 
officers and many of the Virginians, were either killed 
or wounded. Braddock himself, just as he had given 
the order to retreat, fell mortally wounded, whereupon 
Washington had to take charge. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 123 

But it was too late to make a fresh stand. The scat- 
tered remnant of the troops, panic-stricken, rushed 
pell-mell through the ford at which they had crossed 
only three hours before confident of victory. Every- 
thing was abandoned to the enemy — guns, horses, 
wagons and baggage, while the dead and wounded were 
left to the tomahawk and scalping-knife. The Indians, 
attracted by the rich harvest of scalps and the loot of 
the deserted baggage-trains, were content not to pur- 
sue, and the retreat after a time became more orderly. 
Braddock died on the way back to Virginia and was 
buried in the forest at Great Meadows, Washington 
reading the funeral service. On reaching Winchester, 
the survivors of the battle, together with the men left 
with Dunbar, were sent to Philadelphia and thence to 
England. 

Washington Defends the Frontier. — The failure of 
Braddock's expedition not only left the French in full 
possession along the Ohio River, but encouraged the 
Indians to extend their raids farther east than before. 
The outlying settlements west of the Alleghany Mount- 
ains and in the Shenandoah Valley began to suffer at 
the hands of the savages. Homes were burned and mur- 
ders ajid others outrages of the most cruel sort were 
committed. The people of Augusta and Frederick 
counties appealed to Governor Uiuwiddie for protec- 
tion, with the result that Major Andrew Lewis* was 
sent against the Shawnee and Cherokee tribes in the 
west, while Washington, then a colonel, was given com- 
mand of the militia of ten counties, with headquarters 
at Winchester. Washington built several forts along 
the border, and for three years, from 1755 to 1758, had 
sole charge of the frontier defense. So skillfully did 

*See Appendix A. 



124 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

he handle the little force under him, that after a few 
months the Valley settlements were almost rid of dan- 
ger from the Indians. 

Capture of Fort Duquesne. — After Braddock's de- 
feat, no further attempt was made to capture Fort 
Duquesne until the beginning of Francis Fauqiiier's 
administration, in 1758. The struggle had gone on in 
the northern colonies, but with little success to the 
English. Finally, in 1758, the English government de- 
termined to capture Fort Duquesne and Quebec, and 
drive the French out of North America. General John 
Forbes was sent with more regulars to aid the Vir- 
ginians. 

With 6,000 men, 1,600 of whom were colonial riflemen 
under Washington, General Forbes started for Fort 
Duquesne. Profiting from Braddock's experience, he 
allowed Washington and the Virginians to lead the ad- 
vance. When Washington and his men approached the 
fort, the French set fire to the stockade and buildings 
and fled. On November 25, 1758, Washington took pos- 
session of the ruins, raised the English flag, and 
changed the name to Fort Pitt (now Pittsburg), in 
honor of the English statesman, William Pitt, who had 
planned the expedition. , 

Treaty of Peace, 1763. — Following the capture of 
Fort Duquesne, the French were driven out of the Ohio 
country and the worst of the Indian raids along the 
border were at an end. The following year, 1759, the 
war was practically brought to a close by the capture 
of Quebec, the last French stronghold in Canada. In 
1763, by the Treaty of Paris, peace was finally estab- 
lished between France and Englmd. By the terms of 
this treaty, France gave up all claim to North America. 
To England, she gave Canada, the territory around the 



aCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 125 

Great Lakes and all of her other ])ossessions east of the 
Mississippi River, except New Orleans; to Spain, who 
had been her ally against England, she gave New 
Orleans and all her possessions west of the Mississippi, 
retaining not a foot of land anywhere on the American 
continent. 

QUESTIONS. 

1. On what did England ba«e her el&im to North America? 
France? Tell how the Indians ha [opened to become friends 
of the French and enemies of the English. 

2. Where did the French begin to build forts in 1749? Why 
did Virginia make objection? W!io was sent to warn the 
French commander? 

.S. Tell something about Washington's work before this time. 

Give an account of his journey to lort Venango. 
4. What did Governor Dinwiddle do in ]7.54? Tell about Wash 

inoton 's second expedition. 
0. Who was sent from England to aid the Virginians? What 

was it his intention to do? What preparation was made for 

the expedition? 

6. Tell about Braddock's advance fro.n Winchester. What mis- 
take did he make? 

7. Give an account of Braddock's defeat. What was to blame 
for the defeat? 

8. What was the frontier region of Virginia at this time? Who 
defended the frontier after Braddock's defeat? 

9. Whr^t did the English government determine to do in 1658? 
Tell about the capture of Fort Duquesne. . What was the fort 
afterwards called? 

10. What event brought the war to a close? When was peace 
made between France and England? What were the terms 
of, the treaty? 

11. Find on the" map, (1) Williameburg, (2) Fredericksburg, (3) 
Winchester, (4) Alexandria, (5) Cumberland, Maryland, (6) 
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, (7) Monongahela Elver, (8) Alle- 
ghany River, (9) Ohio River. 



TTfE PEOPLE OP THE COLONY. 

Kinds of People. — In the Virginia colony there were, 
of course, two races of people, the whites and the negroes. 
The negroes, as we have seen, were brought as slaves 
from Africa. The whites came chieflv from four conn- 



126 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

tries in Europe : England, France, Germany and Ireland. 
Of the white people there were five classes : ( 1 ) the 
planters, (2) the farmers, (3) the indentured servants, 
(4) the "redemptioners," and (5) the tradesmen and 
artisans. The planter was usually a wealthy English- 
man, or his descendant, owning a large phintation, 
although some of the French were also wealthy planta- 
tion owners. The farmer was the Englishman, German, 
Frenchman* or Scotch-Irishman who had either come to 
Virginia with enough money, or had saved enough money 
after coming, to buy a small piece of land for a farm. 
The indentured servants and the "redemptioners" were 
almost all English and were servants of the plantation 
owners, but there was this difference between them: the 
indentured servants were chieHy convicts sent from Eng- 
lish jails to Virginia, while the "redemptioners" were 
poor people who were willing to act as servants for 
several years, usually less than four years, in ofder to 
pay for their passage from England to Virginia and 
their board and lodging. Not all of the indentured ser- 
vants were "jail birds," however. Some of them were 
bad criminals, but others were those who had committed 
very slight crimes, for which the English law provided 
heavy penalties, and some were kidnapped in London 
by those who were paid to get servants to be brought 
to Virginia. The bad criminals, for the most part, were 
a shiftless set and became known as "poor white trash." 
Those who reformed and those who had not been guilty 
of serious crimes became good citizens. Some of them 
even became planters, some farmers, and some artisans 

*The French were mostly HiiKuenots who left France ufier the Edict 
of .\iiiile> had been r voki d in Hi85. Tlie targi st numb r of thcin 
came in 170(1 and settird in Henrico County. They were of the b st 
Frfnch citizenship, and many of th ir descendants can be distin-ruished 
by th ii- names. .\mong these names are Maury, Moncure. Fontaine, 
Flournoy, Marye, Perrow (Perreaux), Dabney (D' Aubigne) and Boudoin 
(Baudouin). 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 127 

and merchants. The fifth class was composed of mer- 
chants and artisans, the artisans being carpenters, 
weavers, blacksmiths, coopers, tailors, tanners, and shoe- 
makers. 

Eastern and Western Virginia. — By about 1750, when 
Virginia as far west as the Alleghanies had become 
settled, there could be seen another divis on of the people 
into eastern and western Virginians. The eastern Vir- 
ginians lived on the plantations and in the few villages 
and towns on the rivers east of Richmond; the western 
Virginians lived west of Richmond along the James 
River, in the valley between the Blue Ridge and the 
Alleghanies, and even across the Alleghanies in what is 
now West Virginia. In the east were the rich planta- 
tion owners, the white indentured servants, a few farm- 
ers, and artisans and merchants. They were chiefly 
English and a few French. In the west were most of the 
small farmers, who were German, Scotch- Irish and Eng- 
lish. They were so different in their life, in their ways 
of making a living and in their ideas, that soon a very 
bitter antagonism grew up and caused a long controversy 
between them over public schools, taxes, the right to 
vote and other matters, which ended, in 1863, in the 
separation of the extreme western part of the state to 
become a new state. West Virginia. 

Towns In Colonial Virginia. — There were very few 
towns. Williamsburg, its capital, was the chief town dur- 
ing the days of the Virginia colony, but in 1750 it had 
only 200 houses, mostly wooden, and its streets were 
not paved. Richmond was not founded until 1733. Nor- 
folk was founded in 1682, and grew more rapidly than 
any of the other towns because it was the chief port, 
having a population of 6,000 in 1776. Alexandria was 
also an important port. Lynchburg was nothing but 



1^8 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIEGINIA 

Lynch 's Ferry in 1790. The county seats were hardly 
villages and usually consisted of the court-house, the 
county jail, the tavern or county inn, and a store. Fin- 
castle was the largest county seat in the upper end of the 
Valley, while Fredericksburg, the home of Mary Wash- 
ington, the inother of George Wasliington, was quite a 
large village. But towns were so few and so small in 




WESTOVER, HOME OF WILLIAM BYRD 



Virginia that when Thomas Jefferson, at the age of seven- 
teen, entered William and Mary College at Williams- 
burg in 1760, he had never before seen as many as 
twenty houses together. 

Trade and Business.— The chief reason why there 
were so few and so small towns was that there was so 
little business done. This was because the people did not 
need many stores and because there was so little cash 
money. On the plantation was raised and made nearly 
everything that the people needed. Each plantation had 
its own blacksmith, its own cooper, carpenter, weavers. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 129 

tailor and shoemaker. The fine articles of clothing and 
furniture and even of food and liquor, used by the plan- 
tation owner, which could not be made at home, were 
brought from England in ships and unloaded at Nor- 
folk, Jamestown or Williamsburg, and thence taken in 
sloops and shallops to the plantations. Nearly all tlie 
larger plantations were situated on the rivers, and each 
had its own wharf. Tobacco and other plantation prod- 
ucts were shipped back to England. What money there 
was was English money, but tobacco was used in carry- 
ing on business instead of silver coins. Even the salaries 
of ministers were paid in tobacco, and articles bought 
and sold were valued in pounds of tobacco. 

The Plantation. — The plantation of which we have 
heard so much in studying the history of the Virginia 
colony, was a great farm of a thousand or more acres. 
Sometimes it contained as many as six or seven thousand 
acres. Except for large fields cleared for tobacco-plant- 
ing, orchard, garden and dwellings, it vi^as in original 
forest. Its center was the planter's residence or mansion, 
called the Great House or Home House, usually situated 
so as to command a pretty view. The Groat House was 
built of brick or wood and conta'ned from six to twenty 
rooms. The earliest mansions were broader than they 
were long and had a great chiinney at each end, with a 
large hall through the middle. Later they were built 
with long porches, like Mt. Vernon, Washington's home. 
Still later great white pillars, copied after the Greek 
style, were used on the porches. 

The plan and the shape of the houses varied. The 
kitchen was usually a small building separate from 
the mansion, although in later colonial days the dining 
room and kitchen were in the basement of the mansion. 
Near the Great House were the cabins for the negro 



130 SCHOOL HISTORY OF I'lEGINIA 

slaves and white servants. The negro cabins were 
roughly built of logs or planks and consisted of usually- 
one room. The cabins for the white servants were 
lai'ffer. better bnilt and better kept. Then there were 

the outhouses — 
the large barns for 
storing tobacco 
and corn, the sta- 
bles for the plant- 
er's fine hunting 
horses and his 
work horses, the 
cattle pen, hen 
coops, dairy, and 
sometimes a coun- 
try store or grist 
mill. A garden 
a n d an orchard 
near by supplied 
vegetables and 
fruits. Next to 
the Great House 
itself would be the 
flower garden in 
which the mistress 
of the mansion 
^^*^^^'^ ^^^^'^ 'ook personal in- 

terest. Stretching in front of the Great House, often 
toward a river, was a large lawn shaded by magnificent 
trees. 

The Virg-inia Cavalier and Lady. — In the Great House 
lived "the Virginia cavalier and his lady," like a king 
and queen of their own domain. They bought furniture 
and fittings for their home from old England and wore 




SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 131 

clothes made in London or of English cloth made by an 
English tailor in Virginia. The white servants and 
slaves wore homespun cloth, woven by the plantation 
weavers and made into clothes by the plantation tailor, 
and their shoes were of hides tanned on the plantation 
and were made by the plantation shoemaker. The mis- 
tress, or lady, of the mansion had complete charge of 
the house, kitchen and garden, and had her own saddle 
horse and carriage. She was kind to the slaves, nurs- 
ing them when they were ill, teaching them to read 
and to behave properly, and seeing that they were fed 
and clothed. 

Life and Occupations of the Planter. — The planter 
had overseers for the slaves, but he looked after his 
crops and supervised the plantation. He loved to hunt 
foxes and Avould join in with his neighbors and kins- 
men in great hunts. He was fond of his wines, which 
he imported from Spain and France, and .of his peach 
brandy and apple-jack, which were made at home. Some- 
times, it is true, he was too fond of his amusements and 
indulged too much in his liquors and in gambling, cock 
fighting and horse racing, but he was always careful of 
his honor and that of the ladies and his friends. He was 
ready to fight a duel at any time when his honor was 
slighted or questioned. Any stranger was welcomed to 
the Great House, and there was little need for hotels. 
The planter never took pay from a guest. He was ready 
to help a friend in any honorable way or join in with 
his kin or his friend against an enemy. 

The planter and his wife were descended from English 
aristocrats, in many cases their ancestors being titled 
and of the nobility, and they had a pride in their family, 
their name, and their position. The descendants of the 
colonial planters became the aristocrats of the new nation 



132 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIBGINIA 

after the Revolutionary War. Nowhere could be found 
such high ideals of personal and family honor, such 
bounteous hospitality, and such ease of life as among the 
planters of eastern Virginia. 

Western Virginians. — Another section of the colony, 
however, was destined to take a more important part in 
the later history of Virginia than the tidewater section. 
This was the country which lay west of Richmond and 
the Blue Ridge Mountains. As we have seen, the bold 
Spotswood, as he looked toward the west, could not be 
satisfied until he had seen what was beyond the blue 
mountains. We know that he led his "Knights of the 
Golden Horse Shoe" across the Blue Ridge into tiie 
beautiful valley, then nothing but a vast forest. But 
tAventy years later there had flocked into the Valley of 
Virginia large numbers of sturdy, independent people 
whose descendants, as we shall see, had much to do 
with the shaping of the history of Virginia as a state. 

Where They Came From. — These people came from 
three parts of the world. A few were dissatisfied Eng- 
lish freedmen from eastern Virginia who had grown 
tired of being lorded over by the rich planters. By far 
the larger number were German and Scotch-Irish settlers 
who had lived for a time in southern Pennsylvania. The 
Germans came in swarms, as it were, building their 
cabins in settlements so purely German that the German 
language is still spoken among them to a certain extent. 
They were a hard working, honest people, who were soon 
satisfied with their surroundings and got easily accus- 
tomed to the new life in the wild country. 

The Scotch-Irish came even in greater numbers. Their 
ancestors were the Scots whom James I. of England had 
sent to that part of Ireland called Ulster, because they 
were Presbyterians and because he wanted more Protes- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 133 

tants in that part of Ireland than Catholics. They and 
the Irish of Ulster intermarried, and their descendants 
were thus called Scotch-Irish. So industrious were they 
in Ulster that their factories made better linen and 
woolens there than were manufactured in othpr parts of 
Ireland, and the Irish became very .jealous of them be- 
cause people would buy the Scotch-Irish goods instead of 
theirs. Then the English government began treating 
badly all who were not Episcopalians. Thus persecuted 
on all sides, they made up their minds to come to America. 
Thousands of them came first to Pennsylvan^ia, and then 
drifted south into the Shenandoah Valley where they 
finally settled. The Scotch- Irish descendants may be 
known by their names even to-day. Here are some exam- 
ples: Breckenridge, Lewis. Campl)ell, Preston, Ah'xan- 
der, Pickens, Stuart, McDonald, Johnston, and Robert- 
son. Among the Scotch-Irish who have liecome famous 
in American history are Richard Montgomery, Anthony 
Wayne, Daniel Boone, George Rogers Clark, Andrew 
Jackson, Thomas Benton, John Caldwell Calhoun, 
Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson. 

Their Character. — Living out in the wild new country 
vdiere they had to cut down trees with whicli to build 
their log cabins and to clear the ground for their crops, 
and having no servants and rarely any slaves to wait 
upon them, these western Virginians gradually became 
more and more d'fferent from the rich plantat'on owners 
in eastern Virginia. In the newer country beyond the 
mountains, people were more nearly ef|ual. They were 
more religious than the planters; but they were more free 
and democratic. They had less time for amusements 
such as delighted the eastern Virginians, and instead of 
London-made clothes they wore homespun. Their farms 



134 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIEGINIA 

were smaller, and when large tracts of land were owned, 
they were used for cattle-grazing instead of raising 
tobacco. They had to work with their hands, and were 
more serious-minded and industrious. 

It is not strange, therefore, that they had very differ- 
ent ideas about government from those of the eastern 
planters, and that their leaders, among whom were 
Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, later urged that 
every person, regardless of wealth or poverty, should 
have ecfual rights and equal opportunity. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Name the different classes of people in Virginia at this 
time. Tell something about the indentured servants. 

2. Tell about the people who settled in the Valley and western 
Virginia. 

3. What were the principal towns in colonial Virginia? What 
is said of the number and size of towns at this time? 

4. What were some of the things raised and made on the 
plantations? 

5. Describe the plantations and the buildings. 

6. Tell about the furniture and other articles used on the 
plantatiou. How did the mistress of the plantation spend 
her timet 

7. Describe the life of the planter. What may be said of 
many of the families of these planters? 

8. l-rom what countries did many of the people come who set- 
tled in the Shenandoah Valley? Tell all you know about 
the Scotch-Trish. Name some of the Scotch-Irish families 
that settled in Virginia. 

9. What was the character of the western settlers? 

10. Was your county settled by English. Germans, or Scotch- 
Irish? 



EDUCATION IN THE COLONY. 

Kinds of Schools.— The Virginia colonists did not take 
much interest in books. As we have seen, the richer class 
of them were more fond of living well tlian of spending 
their time in becoming educated. There was no news- 
paper in Virginia until 1786, and the people had very 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 135 

little to read except old newspapers and books that were 
sent over from England. The poorer people had very 
little chance for a long time to get any education. 

There were a few free schools in the Virginia colony, 
however, and there were several other ways of getting 
an education. The schools were not like the ones 
which we attend, and there w^ere not nearly so many of 
them. There were four kinds: (1) home tutors; (2) 
parochial schools ; (3) free schools; and (4) "old field"' 
schools. Home teaching was done in the richer families 
by hired tutors brought from England, or, in some 
cases, by indentured servants who were often better 
educated than their masters. Many slaves were also 
taught to read and Avrite by their mistresses at home, 
and on many of the plantations they were taught the 
Scriptures and hj'^mns. The parochial schools Avere 
schools for the children of the white people who were 
too poor to pay to have the children taught. They were 
maintained by the congregation of each church, or 
parish. 

Free Schools. — The "free" schools were very few in 
number, and were different from what we call public 
schools, in that they were not paid for by the government 
as our public schools are, but by some private person. 
The first free or public school of this kind that was ever 
started in America was established by Benjamin Symes 
in Elizabeth City County in the year 1634. He gave "two 
hundred acres of land on Pofjuoson River, with the milk 
and increase of eight cows, for the maintenance of a 
learned honest man to keep upon the said ground a free 
school." Other free schools of this kind were Captain 
Moon's School (1655), Thomas Eaton's (1659), Richard 
Russell's (1667). Mr. King's (16fi9V f,nd Edwav.l Mose- 
ley's (1721). 



136 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Academies. — There Mere higher schools for the colo- 
nial children to attend after they learned wliat was 
taught in these elementary schools. These higher s hools 
were called academies, and toward the end of the 
eighteenth century several of them were started up. At 
Fredericksburg there was a very good one, to which came 
the children of the merchants of that old town and of 
the planters who lived along the Rappahannock. The 
Norfolk Academy was one of the oldest in the colony, 
and was a thriving school. In Accomac County, on the 
Eastern Shore, was the famous Margaret Academy. 

Beyond Richmond the Presbyterians started two 
academies for boys and one for girls. The tirst one was 
started in Augusta County in 1749 as the Augusta 
Academy. Later on it was moved to Timber Ridge, and 
afterwards to Lexington, when its name was changed to 
Liberty Hall Academy. To th s school George Washing- 
ton afterwards gave his shares of stock in the James 
River (Company, which the General Assembly had 
awarded to him for his services in the Rcvolut'onary 
War. and its name was clianged to the Washington 
Academy. After that it became Washington College, 
of which General Robert E. Lee became president after 
the Civil War, and it is now known as the Washington 
and Lee University. In the same town of Lexington the 
Presbyterians also establislied a s-^hool for girls, known 
as the Ann Smith Academy. In Prince Edward County 
the Presbyterians started a boys' school in 1776, under 
the name of the Prince Edward Academy, which in the 
following year was changed to TIampden-Sidney, and is 
now TTampden-Sidney College. 

William and Mary College.^ — The only college in Vir- 
ginia in colonial times was W'lliam and Mary College. 
About 1622, as we have seen, plans had been drawn for 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



137 



a university at Henrico City, but the Indian massacre 
of that year prevented its establishment. Nothing more 
was done until a Scotch parson by the name of James 
Blair, during the time of Lieutenant-Governor Nichol- 
son, determined that Virginia should have a college. 
He went around through the colony and persuaded the 







. ''S 




^ ^'-^T^-^ 


M 


^^^m 


1 


Wm I 


WKj^^ 


lijH 


L 


t 




^SSBBBm, 



WILMAM AND MARY COLLEGE, WILLIAMSBURG 



people to give two thousand five hundred pounds in 
English money to start the college, and then went over 
to England to get a charter, or a permisson, from the 
king and queen. He had a hard time getting the char- 
ter, but finally succeeded and came back to Virginia. 
The college was started in 1693 at Williamsburg, and 
was called William and IMary College in honor of the 
English sovereigns. When Andros was governor of Vir- 
ginia he tried to do everything that he could to dis- 



138 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

courage it, but Mr. Blair was as bold as he was persever- 
ing, and the college prospered. 

Early Years of the College. — The first coramencemeni 
exercises took place in 1700, and people from Maryland. 
Pennsylvania, and New York, as well as from all over 
Virginia, came to the great occasion. Before 1712 the 
college had only three professors — they were called ' ' mas- 
ters," after the English way — a master of grammar, a 
master of writing, the president, who was Mr. Blair, and 
an usher. In 17] 2 a professor of mathematics was added 
to the faculty, and by 1729 there were six professors. 
If there had been more academies in which students 
could be prepared, there would have been more students 
at the college, but as it was its enrollment was never very 
large. Yet the college had a very great influence. It 
educated such men as Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe. 
John Tyler, and John Marshall, and from its halls went 
young men who afterwards became governors of states, 
senators and representatives, and presidents of the 
United States. 

QUESTIONS. 

1. What were the diflPerent kinds of schools in Virginia at this 
t=:ie? 

2. Tell something about the free schools. 

3. Name some of the first academies established. 

4. Give an account of the beginning of William and Mary Col- 
lege. When was it founded? By whom? 

5. Tell about the first comm«ncement. Who were some prominent 
Virginians educated there? 



EVENTS LEADING TO THE REVOLUTION. 

Conditions After 1763.— The French and Indian War 
left all of the colonies heavily in debt, but the removal 
of further danger from the Indians brought peace and 
prosperity again. Virginia grew in population fuid 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 139 

wealth rapidly after 1763. The stream of immigration 
into the Valley and the mountainous regions to the 
west and southwest was renewed, while the counties 
east of the Blue Ridge, between Maryland and North 
Carolina, became more thickly settled. By 1769, there 
were fifty-two counties, more than forty towns, and the 
colony had altogether more than 290,000 inhabitants-. 

But this period was not one of contentment in Vir- 
ginia. With the accession of King George III. to the 
English throne in 1760, royal oppression was renewed 
in a manner that served to increase the spirit of resist- 
ance among the colonists. He held the view that the 
colonies were only trading communities, and that, as 
such, they should have their affairs regulated by Parlia- 
ment whether they consented or not. The Navigation 
Act and other laws for controlling colonial trade were 
to be more strictly enforced; taxes were to be levied 
without consulting the House of Burgesses, and such 
acts of the Burgesses as did not meet with his approval 
were to be vetoed by the king. 

The Parson's Case. — The king had always claimed the 
right to veto the laws passed by the House of Burgesses, 
although in England the acts of Parliament were never 
vetoed. The colonists now began to (|uestion this claim ; 
for they believed that the acts of the House of Burgesses 
should be as much respected as the acts of Parliament. 
The matter Avas first brought to a test in Virginia in 
1763 in what is known as the "Parson's Case." 

The House of Burgesses had, in 3696, fixed the salary 
of a minister at 16,000 pounds of tobacco, when tobacco 
was worth two pence a pound. Since that time, how- 
ever, the price had gradually increased until, in 1763, 
it was selling for six pence a pound. Thus all salaries 
and debts ai-ranged when the price was two pence. 



140 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

if still paid in tobacco, would be worth three times as 
much. Therefore, to prevent unfairness, the House 
of Burgesses passed a law saying that such debts and 
salaries should be paid in money at the rate of two- 
pence for each pound of tobacco. The Virginians at 
once accepted the law as binding and paid the minis- 
ters and others in money. But in the meantime com- 
plaint had been made to the king, and he vetoed the 
law. 

A minister, named James Maury, brought suit to ob- 
tain the difference between what he had received and 
the value of the tobacco at six pence a pound. The case 
was tried in the court of Hanover County, where Pat- 
rick Henry,* then a young laAvyer of twenty-seven, de- 
fended the law as a just and fair one. He told the jury 
that a king who vetoed such laws as were best for the 
people was little better than a tj'rant and could not 
expect to be obeyed. His speech was an elociuent appeal 
for the rights of the people against the king and the 
Established ('hurch. So bitter was his criticism of the 
king that some of those in the courtroom shouted, 
"Treason! Treason !" but he did not slop for this. He 
won the case. To the great satisfaction of the people, 
Maury was given only one penny damages, the very 
least the law allowed. 

The Stamp Act.— At the close of the French and In- 
dian Vv^ar, the English government had established a 
guard, or standing army, of 10,030 men in the colonies 
as a permanent defense against possible Indian raids. 
The cost of keeping this guard was more than a million 
dollars a year. In 1765, the king decided that the col- 
onists should be made to pay a part of the expense, and 
had Parliament pass a law for raising the necessary 

*See Appendix A. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



141 



money. This law, known as the Stamp Act, provided 
for a tax oa all deeds, Avills, marriage licenses and other 
legal documents used in the colonies. 




PATRICK HENRY BEFORE THE HOUSE OF BURGESSES 



The colonists opposed the Stamp Act for two reasons, 
(1) because they were not in favor of keeping a stand- 
ing army in time of peace, when the county militia was 



142 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

sufficient protection, and (2) because it meant taxation 
without representation. They believed that, since they 
were not allowed to send representatives to Parliament, 
the House of Burgesses alone had the right to levy 
taxes in the colony. 

Patrick Henry's Resolutions. — When the House of 
Burgesses met to discuss the Stamp Act, the members 
were divided in their opinion as to what action should 
be taken ; it seemed that a majoritj^ would be in favor 
of allowing it to be enforced. Patrick Henry, a mem- 
ber from Hanover County, was the leader of those in 
favor of resistance. On May 29, 1765, he read before 
the assembly a series of resolutions declaring that the 
House of Burgesses alone had the right to tax Vir- 
ginians, and that for Parliament to attempt to tax them 
was tyranny. He then made a strong plea for the adop- 
tion of the resolutions, and closed his speech with the 
words: "Caesar had his Brutus; Charles I., his Crom- 
well; and George TH. . . ."At this point many 
of the members arose and exclaimed, "Treason! Trea- 
son!," but Henry continued: "George III. may profit 
by their example. If this be treason, make the most of 
it." The resolutions were adopted by a vote of twenty- 
six to twenty. 

The Stamp Act Repealed. — ^The following day, think- 
ing that they might have gone a little too far, the bur- 
gesses met and voted to strike out a part of Henry's 
resolutions. But the news of what Virginia had done 
spread rapidly, and several of the other colonies soon 
passed similar resolutions. Opposition to the Stamp 
Act became so strong, the people refusing outright to 
use the stamps, that, in 1766, it was repealed by Par- 
liament. This action was taken after a long and hot 
debate lasting three months, but at the same time it was 



SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA i43 

agreed that Parliament had a right to make laws for 
the colonies. William Pitt, who spoke in favor of re- 
pealing the Stamj) Act. said that le was glad that the 
colonies had resisted. 

The Townshend Acts. — The rejoicing caused in Vir- 
ginia by the news that the Stamp Act was no longer in 
force, lasted but a short time, for, in 1767, a new set of 
acts was passed by Parliament for taxing the colonies. 
These acts, known as the Townshend Acts, laid a tax on 
sugar, wine, oil, glass, paper and paints. In addition to 
this, resolutions were passed asking the king to have 
brought to England for trial all persons accused of 
treason in the colonies. 

The Virginia Resolves. — The Virginians were again 
stirred to opposition. In 1769, the House of Burgesses 
passed four resolutions, since known as the Virginia 
Resolves, in reply to Parliament. These resolutions, 
which were much like those offered by Henry in 1765, 
declared that the House of Burgesses had always had 
the sole right of levying taxes in Virginia. As to the 
trial of persons accused of treason, an appeal was made 
to the king to let them be tried in the courts of the 
colony. 

Lord Botetourt. Avho had succeeded Francis Fau- 
quier as governor in 1768, felt it to be his duty as the 
king's re))resentative in Virginia to try to put a stop 
to such proceedings. He therefore dissolved the assem- 
bly, whereupon the burgesses left the eapitol and met 
in a room at the Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg. 
Here the governor Could not interfere, and they 
promptly drew up and signed an agreement not to use 
any of the articles upon which the Townshend Acts laid 
a tax. Copies of this agreement, which was known as 
the Non -Importation Agreement, were sent to the as- 



144 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

semblies of the other colonies, and they joined Virginia 
in agreeing not to use taxed goods. Thus Virginia, for 
the second time, took the lead in opposing unjust taxa- 
tion. 

Townshend Acts Repealed. — Parliament saw that 
there would likely be serious trouble if the Townshend 
Acts were enforced, for in several of the colonies mat- 
ters had already reached a critical point. In 1770, 
therefore, the tax on all articles except tea was repeal- 
ed. The king and his supporters still contended that 
Parliament had a right to levy taxes in the colonies, 
and the tax on tea was allowed to remain to show the 
colonists that the English government had not changed 
its views on the question. 

Committee of Correspondence. — The colonies began 
to realize that, to resist successfully such tax laws as 
Parliament might pass, they must work together. There 
was need of united action in all matters of common in- 
terest. In 1773, the House of Burgesses appointed a 
committee whose duty it should be to keep the people 
informed as to what was going on in England, and to 
keep in touch with affairs in the other colonies. This 
was called the Committee of Correspondence, .and sim- 
ilar committees were soon formed in all of the colonies. 
They distributed copies of important resolutions, re- 
ported to one another any new trouble, and exchanged 
opinions as to the best way of opposing oppressive 
English legislation. 

The Tax on Tea. — The tax on tea, as we have seen, 
was not repealed along with the rest of the Townshend 
Acts. The colonists still refused, therefore, to buy the 
tea sent over by English merchants. These merchants, 
whose warehouses had come to be filled with tea that 
they could not get rid of, then asked the king to have 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 145 

the tax removed. But George III. was not willing to 
yield everything to the colonists. He said that there 
should be a tax, but reduced it from one shilling to 
three pence a pound. This made the price in the col- 
onies lower even than it was in London, but still the 
colonists would not buy because there was a tax. When 
ships laden with tea came to Boston, New York and 
Philadelphia, they were not allowed to land their car- 
goes. Such defiance made the king very angry with 
the colonists, and the following year, 1774, he had Par- 
liament pass a law closing the port of Boston, where 
there had been more trouble than at the other ports. 

First Continental Congress. — ^The Virginians sympa- 
thized M'ith the people of Boston, and the House of Bur- 
gesses passed a resolution protesting against what had 
been done. Lord Dunmore, the governor, who had suc- 
ceeded Lord Botetourt in 1772, thereupon dissolved the 
assembly. Like Lord Botetourt, he considered it his 
duty as the king's representative to try to break up 
such opposition to the laws of Parliament. The next 
day, however, the burgesses met at the Raleigh Tavern, 
and issued an invitation to the other colonies to send 
delegates to a congress at Philadelphia. 

The invitation was accepted by all of the colonies 
except Georgia, and on September 5, 1774, the first 
Continental Congress met in Carpenter's Hall in Phil- 
adelphia. There were fifty-five delegates present, 
and Peyton Randolph, of Virginia, was made presi- 
dent.* The proceedings were quiet and all complaints 
were carefully discussed. Patrick Henry, George 
Washington, and Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, were 
among those whose opinions had great influence. A 



*The delesTrttes from Virginia were Patrick Henry, George Washington, 
R. H. XjC9., Peyton Randolph, Richard Bland, .ind Benjamin Harrison. 



146 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Declaration of Rights and Articles of Association were 
adopted. A copy of these articles was to be sent out 
among the colonists to be signed by them individually, 
each signer agreeing not to buy or use English goods 
after December 1, 1774. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Tell about conditions in Virginia after the French and In- 
dian War. How many counties and people were there in 
1769? Who became king of England in 1760? What were 
his ideas about the management of affairs in the colonies? 

2. What right did the king claim in Virginia that he did not 
have in England? How did the Virginians feel about this? 
What law did the House of Burgesses pass in 1763? Why 
did they pass such a law? What was the Parson's Case? 
Tell all' about it. 

.3. What was the Stamp Act? Why -was it passed? Why did 
the colonists oppose it? 

4. What were Patrick Henry's resolutions? When were they 
adopted by the House of Burgesses? 

5. Tell about the repeal of the Stamp Act. What English 
statesman spoke in favor of the colonies? 

6. What were the Townshend Acts? What resolutions did Par- 
liament pass about the same time? 

7. What were the Virginia Resolves? What was the Non-Im- 
portation Agreement? Where was it signed? Who was gov- 
ernor at this time? 

8. When were the Townshend Acts repealed ? What was the only 
tax not removed? Why was this tax left? 

9. What was the Committee of Correspondence? When ap- 
pointed? 

10. How did the king try to force the colonists to buy tea? What 
was the result? Wliy did the colonists still refuse to buy? 

11. Who became governor of Virginia in 1772? What caused him 
to dissolve the House of Burgesses? What did the bur- 
gesses then do? Tell about the meeting of the first Con- 
tinental Congress. Who were delegates from Virginia? What 
did this congress do? Why was it called Continental Con- 
gress ? 

12. Find in Appendix B all counties that were formed between 
1750 and 1775, and locate them on. the map. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 147 

DUNMORE, THE LAST ROYAL GOVERNOR. 

Indian Troubles in the West. — While the Continental 
Congress was yet in session, Virginia had to turn her 
attention to the Indians in the west. At this time (1774) 
many settlers were living in the terntory south of 
the Ohio River, in the present states of West Virginia 
and Kentucky, which were then a part of Virginia. 
Fearing that they would be driven from their lands in 
that region, the western Indians began to murder the 
settlers and destroy their homes. When, in retaliation, 
some settlers attacked and killed several members of 
the Shawnee tribe and the entire family of a chief 
named Logan, a general war started. The savages 
promptly united under another chief, named Cornstalk, 
and began to massacre the frontiersmen along the Ohio 
River. 

An Expedition Planned. — Lord Dunmore at once pre- 
pared to drive the Indians back. Calling out the 
militia of the western counties, he planned an expedi- 
tion consisting of two forces. He was to command in 
person the troops . from Shenandoah and Frederick 
counties, marching by way of Pittsburg and down the 
Ohio River; while General Andrew Lewis, with the 
troops from Augusta, Botetourt, Culpeper and Bedford 
counties, was to go by way of the Kanawha River. 
The two armies were to meet at Point Pleasant, Avhere 
the Kanawha empties into the Ohio. 

Battle of Point Pleasant. — Having assembled 1,100 
men at Camp Union (now Lewisburg), in Greenbrier 
County, Lewis set out early in September, 1774, and 
after a difficult march of 160 miles, reached Point 
Pleasant October 1. Instead of being met by Dunmore, 
however, he received a message from the governor say- 



148 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF FIEGINIA 



ing that he had gone to attack some Shawnee towns 
west of the Ohio, and ordering Lewis to join him. At 
sunrise, October 10, Lewis sent a party of men to recon- 
noitre with a view to crossing the river. These were 
attacked by Cornstalk with 2,000 warriors, and a gen- 
eral battle began that lasted until noon. The fighting 
was done at close range, and the struggle was fierce and 




ST. JOHN'S CHURCH, RICHMOND 



bloody. The Indians made a desperate resistance, but 
they had found their match in the brave frontiersmen. 
In spite of Cornstalk "i^ efforts to rally them, they finally 
broke and fled, leaving hundreds of dead and wounded 
on the field. The Virginians also lost heavily, having 
two colonels, seven captains, three lieutenants, and 
seventy-five men killed, and 140 wounded. The Indians 
were completely defeated, and at once made peace, 
agreeing not to hunt again south of the Ohio River. 

Second Virginia Convention. — No sooner had the In- 
dians been put do\ra. than Virginia again gave her at- 



SCHOOL aiSrORY OF VIRGINIA 149 

teution to the contest with England. The English 
government had begun sending soldiers to enforce the 
acts of Parliament in the colonies, and the situation was 
fast becoming serious. In a convention held in 1774, 
the Virginians had refused to take action for armed de- 
fense, and on March 20, 1775, a second convention met 
in St. John's Church, Richmond. Patrick Henry was 
the leader in this convention. He at once offered a 
motion for arming and drilling the militia of the colony, 
and made in support of his motion an eloquent speech 
that has become famous. Replying to some members 
who were opposed to the measure on the ground that 
there was then no war with England, he declared: 
■'The war is inevitable, and let it come. The next gale 
that sweeps from the north Avill bring to our ears the 
clash of resounding arms. I know not what course 
others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give 
me death." His motion was passed, and Henry was ap- 
pointed commander-in-chief of the Virginia troops. 

Dunmore's Behavior. — Henry's words were like a 
prophecy, for the following month news came that there 
had been skirmishes between British regulars and Mas- 
sachusetts militiamen at Lexington and Concord, near 
Boston. About the same time, in April, 1775, Lord 
Dunmore, who did all in his poAver to oppose the Vir- 
ginians, removed some powder from the old Powder 
Horn at Williamsburg to a British vessel in the James 
River. When Patrick Henry, with a force of nearly 
5,000 men, marched to Williamsburg to recover the 
powder, Dunmore became alarmed and agreed to pay 
for Avhat he had taken. Henry accepted this in settle- 
ment of the matter, and for the time being, war was 
averted. 



150 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 



Dunmore Leaves Williamsburg. — The people of Wil- 
liamsburg had been aroused by the governor's action in 
removing the powder, and about two months later 
Dunmore decided to leave the capital and take refuge 
on the Fowcy, a man-of-war lying near Yorktown. In 
a statement addressed to the House of Burgesses, he 
said that he did not consider it safe for himself and 
family to remain in Williamsburg. He was assured, in 
reply, that all necessary steps would be taken for his 
safety if he would return. He 
felt safer, however, on board 
the warship, and offered to at- 
tend to his duties as governor 
there. After this, the House 
of Burgesses and Council re- 
fused to recognize his author- 
ity as governor, and thus roy- 
al government in Virginia 
ended. 

Committee of Safety.^Vir- 
ginia being now without a 
duly recognized governor, a 
convention was called to meet 
in Richmond to fill the vacan- 
cy. This convention, which met in July, did not deem 
it best to place all authority in the hands of one man 
at that time ; it decided instead to give the management 
of the colony's affairs to a committee composed of sev- 
eral of the ablest men in the colony. This commit- 
tee, known as the Committee of Safety,* was to have 
absolute authority, being responsible for its acts only 
to the convention. 




OLD POWDER HORN, 
WILLIAMSBURG 



*The members of this committee were Edmund Pendleton, George 
Mason, John Page, Richard Bland, Thomas Ludwell Lee, Paul Carring- 
ton, Dudley Diggs, William Cabell, John Tabh, James Mercer, and Carter 
Braxton. 



SCHOOL HISTOET OF VIRGINIA 151 



QUESTIONS. 

Where did new Indian troubles break out in 1774? What 

started the trouble? 

Who was governor of Virginia at this time? What were his 

plans for driving back the Indians? 

Tell about Lewis' journey to Point Pleasant. Des.CTibe the 

battle of Point Pleasant. What was the result? 

Where and when did the second Virginia convention meet? 

For what purpose? Who made a great speech before this 

convention? What were his closing words? What did the 

convention do? 

Tell about Dunmore and the powder at Williamsburg. 

Why did Dunmore leave Williamsburg? Where did he go? 

When did royal government in Virginia end? How long had 

there been royal government? 

What was the Committee of Safety? What were the duties 

of this committee? Why was a governor not elected at this 

time? Who were some of the members of the Committee of 

Safety? 

Find in your geography, (1) the counties mentioned in this 

section, (2) Lewisburg, West Virginia, (3) Kanawha River, 

(4) Ohio River, (5) Pittsburg, (6) Point Pleasant. 



aCHOtH. HISTORY OF I'IHGINIA l5Hl 



VIRGINIA AND THE REVOLUTION 

1776-1781. 



GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA: 

RULER IN ENGLAND: Patrick Henrv (1776-1779). 

King George III, (1760-1820). Thomas .Jefferson (1779-1781). 

Thomas Nelson (1781). 

VIRGINIA LEADS THE REVOLT. 

Conditions in the Colonies, 1775. — The skirmishes at 
Lexington and Concord, in April, 1775, were soon fol- 
lowed by other conflicts between British regulars and 
the colonial militia. England had for several years 
been sending troops to enforce the acts of Parliament 
against the colonies, and this led to more or less trouble 
wherever the troops were quartered. Some of the col- 
onists were in favor of allowing the acts of Parliament 
to be enforced, however, and there soon came to be two 
parties in the colonies. Those who opposed the Eng- 
lish government were called Patriots, while those who 
were willing to accept the acts of Parliament as bind- 
ing were known as Tories. There were nearly four 
times as many Patriots as Tories in Virginia. 

Second Continental Congress. — Matters had now 
reached the point where the colonies must decide 
whether or not they would declare war against Eng- 
land. On May 10, 1775, the second Continental Con- 
gress met in Philadelphia to discuss the question. All 
of the colonies were represented and fifty-five delegates 
were present. Many of the delegates were in favor of 
.sending another petition to the king to try to bring 



154 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIBGINIA 

about a peaceable settlement of the trouble; but the 
majority believed that the time had come when the col- 
onies could recover their rights only by force of arms. 
Those in favor of war at length prevailed. George 
Washington, of Virginia, was chosen to be commander- 
in-chief of all the American forces. 

Why Washing-ton Was Chosen. — There were two rea- 
sons for making Washington commander-in-chief: 
first, because he was the only man in the colonies with 
enough military experience to give the people confi- 
dence in his ability as a general, and, second, because 
the northern colonies were anxious to secure the help 
of Virginia. Virginia was the oldest, most populous 
and most influential of all, and it was realized that her 
example and leadership would be followed by the 
smaller and weaker colonies.' 

Washington Takes Charge. — The Revolution had be- 
gun. While Congress was yet in session, the first real 
battle of the war had been fought near Boston. This 
was the battle of Bunker Hill, in which, on April 17. 
1775, General Gage with 10,000 British regulars de- 
feated 15,000 New England mititia under Israel Put- 
nam, Benedict Arnold and John Stark. Washington 
was now ordered to take charge of the troops around 
Boston, and on July 3 he assumed command. From 
this time, the forces under him were known as the Con- 
tinental Array. 

Virginia and the other middle colonies were asked 
by Congress to furnish volunteers, Virginia's quota 
being placed at fifteen battalions. The Virginians 
responded willingly and promptly. In every county 
companies were formed and drilled. Many of these 
marched to join Washington, while others remained to 
defend their homes and property from such British 






^^^^^^I^^v^'^ 




156 SCHOOL HISTORY OF FIBGINIA 

troops as might be sent to Virginia. From the first, 
Virginia entered heartily into the struggle. Besides 
giving liberally of men and money, she was to take an 
active and leading part in all matters having to do 
with the struggle against oppression and in favor of 
the complete independence of the colonies. 

The Colonies Unprepared. — When Washington took 
command, the army was made up chiefly of men from 
the New England colonies, for hitherto the middle and 
southern colonies had not felt called upon to defend 
any but their own interests. In a few weeks, however, 
volunteers began to report from all the colonies, offer- 
ing their services in the common struggle. At this 
time the colonists were fighting, not for separation from 
England, but for the rights which they believed they 
ought to have as English subjects. They were not pre- 
pared for a long war. The men who joined The Con- 
tinental Army lacked both discipline and any sort of 
knowledge of military life, and were without the 
necessary arms and other equipment. Washington was 
quick to see the need of these things, and in the face of 
many diflficulties he set to work drilling, arming and 
obtaining supplies for his troops. 

Virginia Favors Independence.— Virginia had always 
been quick to oppose any kind of oppression, whether 
by the royal governors or by the king and Parliament. 
On two occasions, as we have seen, the behavior of the 
governor had caused serious trouble, first in 1635, in 
the case of Sir John Harvey, and again in 1676, in the 
case of Sir William Berkeley. We have also seen how 
she opposed the Navigation Act, the Stamp Act, the 
Townshend Acts, and the king's attempt to veto colon- 
ial legislation. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



157 



And now Virginia was the first of the colonies to 
take action in favor of complete independence. On 
May 15, 1776, in a convention made up of delegates 
from all the counties, assembled at Williamsburg, a 
resolution was adopted instructing the Virginia mem- 
bers of Congress to propose to that body that the 
United Colonies be declared free and independent 
States. 




PATRICK henry's law OFFICE IN CHARLOTTE COUNTY 



The Bill of Rights.— On the same day that it voted for 
independence, the convention appointed a committee to 
prepare a declaration of rights and a plan of govern- 
ment for the colony. Both the declaration of rights, 
since known as the Virginia P>ill of Rights,* and the 
plan of government were written by George Mason.f 
The Bill of Rights was adopted June 12, 1776. It 
sets forth in simple terms the American idea of 

'See Appendix D. 
i'See Appendix A. 



158 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



government, declaring, among other things: that 
all men are entitled to equal political rights, the 



enjoyment of life and liberty, 
and possessing property and 



the means of acquiring 
the means of obtaining 
happiness and safety ; 
that the govennnent, 
being derived from the 
people, should be ad- 
ministered for the ben- 
efit of all and for the 
maintenance of their 
lights ; that every man 
should have the right 
to worship in matters 
of religion according 
to his own conscience, 
and that there should 
be freedom of t h e 
press in the discussion 
of all public questions. 
A Constitution 
Adopted.— From 1619, 
when the first House 
of lUirgesses met at JamestoAvn, to 1775, when Lord 
Dunmore, the last of the royal governors, left Wil- 
liamsburg, the only change affecting the government 
of Virginia was in 1624, when the power of appoint- 
ing the governor and members of the Council passed 
from the London Company to the king. In 1775, as 
we have seen, the management of the affairs of the 
colony was placed in the hands of the Committee of 
Safety. It was because the convention realized the 
need of a new permanent government that the commit- 
tee appointed to prepare a declaration of rights was 




GEORGE MASON 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 159 

also instructed to draft a plan of government. This 
plan of government, which became the first state Con- 
stitution, was adopted June 29, 1776. It went into 
effect at once, and Patrick Henry was appointed the first 
governor. The constitution, which declared Virginia 
to be a free and independent Commonwealth, provided 
for a legislature to consist of two branches, a Senate 
and a House of Delegates, the former taking the place 
of the old Council and the latter that of the House of 
Burgesses. The members of both were to be elected by 
the people, while they in turn were to choose the gov- 
ernor and his advisers. 

The Declaration of Independence. — Acting upon the 
instructions from the Virginia convention, recommend- 
ing that all the colonies be declared independent states, 
Richard Henry Lee, a Virginia member, made a motion 
in Congress, "that these United Colonies are, and of 
right ought to be, free and independent States, that they 
are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, 
and that all political connection between them and the 
state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dis- 
solved." The motion was passed on July 2, and a 
committee was appointed to draft a declaration of inde- 
pendence. Thomas Jefferson,* another Virginia member 
of Congress, was made chairman of this committee, and 
to him was assigned the duty of writing the declaration. 
Jefferson immediately set to work on the document, and 
on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was 
adopted by Congress. Thus the colonies declared them- 
selves forever free and independent of Great Britain. 

The State Seal. — After the constitution had been ap- 
proved, the Virginia convention next took up the matter 

*See Appendix A. 



IGu SCHOOL HISTORY OF iJKGlNlA 

of providing a state seal. A number of designs were 
suggested and discussed, but finally one proposed by 
George Wythe was selected. It shows a female figure 
resting with one hand on a spear and holding in the 
other a sword, representing Virtue, and trampling under 
foot the prostrate figure of a man, representing Tyranny, 
near him being seen a broken chain and a scourge, while 




MONTICELLO, HOME OF THOMAS JEFFERSON 

from his head has fallen a crown. Over the head of 
Virtue is the word "Virginia," and underneath the 
figure the motto, "Sic Semper Tyrannis."* 

Inheritance of Property. — Tn 1776, Jefferson retired 
from Congress and became a member of the new Vir- 
ginia legislature. Ever since 1619. when the House 
of Burgesses petitioned the London Company that every 
man might be allowed to own the land which he eulti- 



' Mean in jr. "Thus 



Spe front of cover 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 161 

vated, it had been the custom in Virginia for a man's 
property at his death to go to his eldest son. This 
custom, known as the Law of Primogeniture, had been 
introduced from England when the right to own land 
was first granted the colonists. Jefferson, who was a 
thorough believer in democracy, wished to abolish this 
law in Virginia because it not only deprived the other 
children of a share in their father's property, but had 
a tendency to create a class of aristocratic landowners 
by handing down from one generation to another large 
landed estates. He introduced a bill in the legisl;^ture 
providing that a man's property at his death should be 
divided equally among his children, thus doing away 
with the old law. Jefferson's bill was strongly opposed 
by Edmund Pendleton, but Jefferson was successful, 
for the legislature voted to repeal the Law of Primo- 
geniture. 

Virginia's Leadership. — A brief review of Virginia's 
share thus far in the struggle against English oppres- 
sion and in the interest of independence and free institu- 
tions shows a record of which every Virg'nian may justly 
be proud, ft is seen that Virginia took the load: (1) in 
condemning the Stamp Act; (2) in appointing a Com- 
mittee of Correspondence; (3) in advocating a Continen- 
tal Congress; (4) in adopting a Bill of Rights; (5) in 
proposing the Declaration of Indepf^ndence, and (6) in 
adopting a State Constitution establishing an independ- 
ent state government. The Virginia legislature had 
passed laws granting to the people of the colony re- 
ligious freedom and abolishing the primogeniture system 
of inheritance. George Washington, a Virginian, had 
been appointed commander-in-chief of the colonial forces, 
and another Virginian, Thomas Jerferson, had written 
the Declaration of Independence. 



162 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

QUESTIONS. 

1. Tell about conditions in the colonies in 1775. What two 
parties came into existence f 

2. When did the second Continental Congress meet and where? 
What was the question to be decided? What was done? 

3. Why was Washington made commander-in-chief? 

4. What was the first real battle of the Eevolution? When 
and where was it fought? When did Washington take 
charge of the American army? What was it called after 
this? Tell about Virginia's answer to the call for vol- 
unteers. 

5. In what ways did Washington find the army unprepared? 
What did he do? For what were the colonies at first fight- 
ing. 

6. Name some of the acts of oppression which Virginia had 
actively opposed up to this time. What new suggestion 
was she now the first to make? 

7. What was the Bill of Rights? Who wrote it? 

8. Tell about the adoption of the first state constitution. 
What kind of government was provided for? Who was the 
first governor? 

9. Tell about the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. 
Who wrote it? 

10. Describe the state seal and tell about its adoption. Who 
drew the design for it? 

11. What had been the law about inheriting property in Vir- 
ginia? What was the law called? Who took the lead in 
having this law abolished? When? Why was such a law 
not a good one? 

12. Name the things in which Virginia had taken the lead 
among the colonies up to this time. 



THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION. 



IN OTHKU COLONIES, 1775-1781. 

Plans of the British. — The War of the Revolution 
may be divided into two periods, the first before, the 
second after the Declaration of Independence. In the 
first period the colonists were fighting only to recover 
their rights and privileges as English subjects ; in the 
second period, they were fighting for complete separa- 
tion from England, that is, for independence. The 
first period ended in June, 1776, with the capture of 



SCHOOL HISTOltY OF VIRGINIA 163 

Boston by Washington's array and an unsuccessful in- 
vasion of Canada under Benedict Arnold and Richard 
Montgomery. 

In the struggle for independence, after July 4, 1776. 
the colonies had one great advantage. They were on 
the defensive ; the British had either to invade and 
conquer them or give up all claim to them. There 
were two ways in which the British might hope to suc- 
ceed, one by cutting off the New England colonies from 
the middle and southern colonies, the other by cutting 
off one southern colony after another, commencing with 
Georgia. They tried both of these plans. The opera- 
tions of the first five years of the war, therefore, took 
place outside of Virginia. 

First Campaign in the Middle Colonies. — The first 
plan tried by the British was that of cutting off the 
New England colonies. This they proposed to do by 
getting control of the Hudson River. They already 
had control on the sea, so that it was impossible for the 
Americans to send troops and supplies from one colony 
to another by water. Thus, by holding the Hudson 
River, the British would be able to stop all communi- 
cation between the two sections. 

There were two ways of attacking the Hudson River : 
from the north and from the south. The British tried 
both ways at once. General Howe, the commander-in- 
chief of the British troops, having been driven out of 
Boston, moved his army to the neighborhood of New 
York City, while General Carlton was ordered to ad- 
vance south from Canada with another force. In the 
meantime, Washington marched from Boston to oppose 
Howe. Carlton's expedition accomplished nothing, 
being driven back to Canada by a force under Benedict 
Arnold ; but in a series of attacks on the Americans 



164 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

around New York City, in the summer of 1776, Howe 
forced Washington to withdraw his army across New 
Jersey into Pennsylvania. 

On Christmas night, 1776, Washington recrossed the 
Delaware River, marched nine miles in a driving storm 
of sleet and snow, and defeated the British at Trenton, 
capturing 1,000 prisoners. A few days later, January 
3, 3777, he attacked a force under Lord Cornwallis at 
Princeton and won another decisive victory. After 
this, he took possession of the heights of Morristown, 
and for five months kept the British hopelessly penned 
up in New York. 

Second Campaign in the Middle Colonies. — In the 
spring of 1777, the British again i)lanned to get control 
of the Hudson River. Howe, with 18,000 men, was to 
advance up the river to meet General Burgoyne, with 
9,000 men, and Colonel St. Leger, with 2,000 men, who 
were to march south from Canada. St. Leger was op- 
posed by General Benedict Arnold, and Burgoyne was 
opposed by General Phillip Schuyler; while Washing- 
ton, with the main army, remained in New Jersey to 
look after Howe. 

Arnold drove St. Leger back to Lake Ontario, and 
then joined Schuyler against Burgoyne, who had con- 
tinued to press south toAvard Fort Edward.-; Believing 
that he could still reinforce Burgoyne if necessary, 
Howe moved his army around by Avater to the head of 
the Chesapeake Bay and started north to capture Phil- 
adelphia. He was attacked and greatly delayed by 
Washington at Brandywine Creek, but two weeks later 
entered Philadelphia. On October 4. Washington again 
attacked him at Germantown, though without success. 
Meanwhile Burgoyne was meeting with stubborn resist- 
ance at the hands of Arnold and Gates, the latter hav- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 165 

ing succeeded Schuyler. He was badly defeated on 
October 7, and on October 17, surrendered his entire 
army of 6.000 men at Saratoga. 

Among the Virginia troops engaged against Bur- 
goyne, were Colonel Daniel Morgan and a company of 
riflemen from the Shenandoah Valley and the counties 
along the upper James, who rendered valuable service 
in the battles leading up to the surrender. 

Filial Campaign in the Middle Colonies. — Burgoyne's 
surrender may be considered the turning point of the 
war. England was now willing to make peace, and of- 
fered to yield to the colonies everything except inde- 
pendence. When France saw that there was a possibil- 
ity of peace on such terms, however, she decided to 
recognize the independence of the colonies, and sent an 
army and a fleet to aid the Americans. Early in 1778, 
she made an agreement with the colonies that they were 
not to accept any terras of peace until England should 
be willing to acknowledge their independence. 

After the battle of Germantown, Washington's army 
went into winter quarters at Valley Forge. The winter 
was an unusually severe one, and the men suffered 
great privation and hardship from the lack of food, 
blankets and clothing. Much of the time was spent to 
good advantage, however, in drilling under the direc- 
tion of Baron Steuben, an experienced Prussian officer. 

In the spring of 1778, Sir Henry Clinton, who had 
succeeded Howe in command of the British, moved his 
army from Philadelphia to New York to defend that 
city against a French fleet that had been reported to be 
approaching. Washington followed, hoping to capture 
New York, but it was found that many of the French 
ships could not get within range of the fortifications, 
and the plan had to be given up. The British continued 



166 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

to hold New York, and, except for a few skirmishes, 
there was no more fighting in the northern and middle 
colonies. 

Operations on the Frontier. — The country north of 
the Ohio River, generally known as the Northwest Ter- 
ritory, was at this time occnpied by the British under 
Colonel Hamilton. Virginia clanned this territory 
under the charter of 1609. In 1778, Hamilton tried to 
stir up the Indians against the settlers on the frontier. 
George Rogers Clark,* a young Virginian living in what 
is now Kentucky, applied to Governor Patrick Henry 
for permission to raise a force for the purpose of driv- 
ing the British out of the Northwest Territory and re- 
claiming it for Virginia. He was commissioned a col- 
onel, with authority to raise and equip seven com- 
panies. 

AVith 200 men. Clark set out in June. 1778. He cap- 
tured three important British forts, Kaskaskia and Ca- 
hokia. which were near the site of St. Louis, and Vin- 
cennes. in the present state of Indiana. The daring ex- 
pedition was made under many difficulties, and it was 
not until February 25 that Vincennes was taken. 
Clark's con(|uest. for which all the troops and supplies 
used were furnished by Virginia, besides ridding the 
colonies of fi^rther annoyance from the British and In- 
dians in the west, gave to Virginia control over all of 
the Northwest Territory. Five great states have since 
been formed out of it. 

First Campaign in the South. — Having twice failed 
iu the !itt<Mnpt to cut off the Xew England colonies, the 
British now decided to try the plan of cutting off one 
southern colony after another, [n the spring of 1779, 
an expedition was sent against Savannah. Georgia was 

*See Appendix A. ■ ■ 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 167 

soon overrun, and in the spring of 1880, Sir Henry 
Clinton captured Charleston with all of the American 
troops, including many Virginians, stationed there. 
After this. Lord Cornwallis, who succeeded Clinton, 
had little trouble in subduing South Carolina. Advanc- 
ing toward North Carolina, he defeated the Americans 
under General Gates at Camden, August 16, 1780. 

The summer following the battle of Camden was for 
the colonies the gloomiest period of the war. The loss 
of Georgia and South Carolina and the scarcity of 
money with which to provide men and supplies, caused 
great discouragement. During this period also, Bene- 
dict Arnold, the brilliant and able general who had 
rendered such valuable service against St. Leger and 
Burgoyne in New York, turned traitor to the American 
cause and joined the British. As one of Washington's 
most trusted officers, he had been given command of 
the fortress at West Point, and this he tried secretly to 
surrender to the enemy. 

Second Campaign in the South. — It was not long, 
however, before the outlook began to improve. In Oc- 
tober, 1780, a force of 1,000 British was badly defeated 
at King's Mountain. A new American army was then 
raised in North Carolina and put in charge of General 
Nathaniel Greene, an officer second in ability only to 
Washington. With Greene were three distinguished 
Virginia officers, Daniel Morgan, John Washington and 
Henry Lee, the last, familiarly known as "Light-horse 
Harry" Lee, being the father of General Robert E. 
Lee. 

In January, 1781, in the battle of the Cowpens, Mor- 
gan nearly destroyed a British force under Colonel 
Tarleton, taking 600 prisoners and killing 200 of the 
enemy, while his own loss w^as only twelve killed and 



-168 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

sixty wounded. This was followed by the battles of 
(Guilford Court House, Hobkirk's Hill and Eutaw 
Springs. Thus Greene had not only kept Cornwallis 
from advancing through North Carolina, but in less 
than a year, he had regained for the Americans control 
of all of South Carolina except the city of Charleston. 



QUESTIONS 

Into what two periods may the Revolution be rlividecl? How 
and when did the first period end? What great advantage 
did the colonies have in the second period? In whnt two 
wavs was it possible for the British to conquer the colonies? 
What was the first plan tr-ed by the British? Why was this 
a good plan? Tell about the British attempt to ca[)ture the 
Hnd?on River. Whnt two victories were won by the Ameri- 
cans under Washington? How did the campaign end? 
Describe the Br'ti^h plans for ca;>turing the Hudson River 
in the spring of 1777. What American. generals oppos^ed the 
Br'tish? What battles did Washington fight with Howe? 
What was the grentes-t American victory of this campaign? 
Where was the British main army at the close of the cam- 
paign? 

What is said of Burgoyne's surrender? What effect d'd it 
have? Tell about Washington's army at Valley Forge. What 
d'd the Brit-'sh do in the snring of 1778? What was the most 
important place the British continued to hold in the northern 
and middle cohn^es? What is said of the fighting in these 
colonies after 1778? 

Who had command of the Brit'sh in the we«t? What was the 
Northwest Territory? Why did Virginia claim it? What did 
George Rogers Clark wii^li to do? Tell about his conquest 
of the Northwest Territory. 

What plan did the British decide to try in 1779? Tell about 
their success in Georgia and South Garolina. In what battle 
did Cornwallis defeat the Americans? What is said of the 
summer following this battle? 

What victory did the Americans win in October, 1780? Who 
was given command of the Americans after this b-'ttle? Name 
three Virginia officers who served with him. Tell about the 
battle of the Cowpens. What other battles were fought after 
this? How did this campaign end? 

Find in vour geosrraphv, (1) Boston, (2) New York City, (3) 
Hudson River, (4) Trenton, (5) Princeton, (6) Morristown. 
Find in your geogranhy, (1) Lake Ontario, (2) Fort Edward, 
r.3) Saratoga, (4) Brandywine Creek, (5) Germantown, (6) 
Philadelphia. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



10. Find in your geography, (1) Valley I'orge, (2) St. Louis, (3) 
Vincennes, (4) Savannah, (5) Charleston, (6) Camden, (7) 
Guilford, (8) Cowpens, (9) Eutaw Springs. Ask your teacher 
to help you with these map questions. 



IN VIRGINLi, 1776-1781. 

Dunmore's Ravages. — The first actual fighting in 
Virginia was between a small force under Lord Dun- 
more and the colonial militia under Colonel William 
Woodford and 
General Andrew 
Lewis. Finding 
himself driven 
from the govern- 
orship, Dunmore 
had determined to 
make war on the 
Virginians. Late 
in 1775, he sailed 
from Yorktown 
with several ships 
and two companies 
of British regu- 
lars, and made his 
headquarters a t 
Norfolk. By offer- 
ing freedom' to all 
slaves who would 
join him, he man- 
aged to raise a lord dunmore 
mixed force of more than 500 men. In December, 
some of his troops were defeated at Great Bridge, 
twelve miles from Norfolk, by the Caroline County 
militia under Woodford. Forced to embark on his 
ships in the harbor, in January, 1776, Dunmore bom- 
barded the city and set fire to many houses. 




170 SCHOOL HISrOEY OF VIRGINIA 

Dunmore Driven Out of Virginia. — Leaving Norfolk, 
Diinmore and his troops made raids along the shores 
of the Chesapeake Bay and into the neighboring 
rivers and plundered such towns as they could reach 
without risk of being captured. At length, in May, 
1776, he established himself on Gwyn 's Island, just east 
of MattheAvs County. In the meantime, Lewis had been 
put in charge of the Virginia militia with headquarters 
at Williamsburg. Learning of Dunmore 's position, 
Lewis moved his forces to Matthews County to attack 
him. A vigorous cannonade badly damaged Dunmore 's 
fleet, which lay between the shore and the island. The 
following day Lewis sent 200 men to the island, but 
before they could land, the enemy had made their es- 
cape. Sailing from Gwyn's Island, Dunmore went to 
New York, and from there to England. He did not re- 
turn to Virginia. 

Muhlenburg in Charge. — After the departure of Lord 
Dunmore, there Avas no fighting of much consequence 
in Virginia until 1780, though an expedition sent by 
Clinton in 1779 had destroyed more than 100 small 
merchant ships along the coast. In 1780, however, the 
British began to concentrate their efforts on Virginia. 
From this time to the close of the war the counties 
north of Richmond and between Richmond and Norfolk 
were the scene of many raids and much fighting. 

Early in 1780, a British force captured Portsmouth, 
burned Suffolk, and destroyed a quantity of military 
stores at Norfolk and Gosport. General Lewis having 
resigned after the defeat of Dunmore, the militia had 
been disbanded, and the Virginia regulars had been 
sent to the aid of Greene in the Carolinas. Washington 
now sent General Muhlenburg to take charge of the de- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 171 

fense of the colony. Muhlenburg made his headquar- 
ters at Suffolk, and, assisted by General Nelson,* soon 
collected a sufficient force to drive the British out of 
Portsmouth. 

Arnold Invades Virginia. — In January, 1781, Bene- 
dict Arnold, then an officer in the British army, landed 
in Virginia and started up the James River to capture 
Richmond. Jefferson, who was at that time governor, 
decided to abandon Richmond : the arms and ammunition 
stored there were removed a short distance from the city, 
and the legislature was adjourned to Charlottesville. 
Meeting with no opposition, Arnold continued his ad- 
vance on the capital, and on January 5 entered and 
took possession of the city. After several days spent in 
plundering and pillaging, having done about all the 
damage possible, the British left Richmond and set out 
down the river, destroying and burning at will as they 
went. General Steuben, who had been sent to organize 
and drill the militia, succeeding Muhlenburg in com- 
mand, marched rapidly to intercept Arnold, but the 
latter kept well out of his way and continued on in the 
direction of the Chesapeake Bay. 

Arnold Reinforced.— General Phillips about this time 
arrived at Portsmouth with 2,000 men, and joining 
forces with Arnold, repulsed Steuben and the mili- 
tia and proceeded to Petersburg, where much tobacco 
and a number of small vessels were destroyed. From 
Petersburg, Phillips and Arnold marched by way of 
Chesterfield Court House, intending to enter Rich- 
mond again. But in the meantime. General Lafayette, 
who had been ordered by Washington to the defense 
of Virginia, had taken command at Richmond with 
1,200 regulars besides the militia under Steuben. La- 
fayette was a young French nobleman who had oifered 

*Se<> Appendix A. 



172 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



his services to the colonies in the struggle for independ- 
ence. Not only was he regarded by Washington as one 
of his best officers, but his skill as a commander had 
become known to the British. When Phillips and Ar- 
nold discovered the young Frenchman in charge of 
Richmond they decided that it Avould be better to 
change their plans. 
Leaving Manchester, 
they set out down 
the James River, prob- 
ably with the intention 
of returning to New 
York. They had got- 
ten little farther than 
Bermuda Hundred, 
however, when Phil- 
lips received a mes- 
sage from Cornwallis 
saying that he was 
marching with his 
army from North Car- 
olina to join him at 
Petersburg. 

Cornwallis in Vir- 
ginia. — Cornwallis be- 
lieved that by uniting all the British forces in one com- 
mand he could easily conquer Virginia, and this he de- 
termined to do before attempting another campaign in 
the Carolinas. When he arrived at Petersburg, he 
found Arnold in charge, Phillips having a few days 
before died of fever. Arnold was almost as much de- 
spised by Cornwallis as by the Virginians, whose hatred 
of the traitor had led Governor Jefferson to offer a lib- 
eral reward to any one who should capture him. Not 




LAFAYETTE 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 173 

caring to continue in Virginia under such circum- 
stances, Arnold applied for permission to return to 
New York, and this Cornwallis readily granted, being 
himself glad to be rid of the company of such a man. 

Richmond Evacuated. — Confident of easy success 
against the young Lafayette, late in May, 1781, Corn- 
wallis crossed the James River a few miles below Rich- 
mond and began to advance against the city. He hoped 
to capture or destroy the small force of 3,000 Ameri- 
cans opposing him. But instead of risking a battle, 
which he knew would under the circumstances be un- 
wise, Lafayette retired from Richmond in the direction 
of Fredericksburg. There he awaited the arrival of 
General Wayne, who, with 800 Pennsylvanians, ■ was 
hastening south to reinforce him. Cornwallis pursued 
as far as the North Anna River, in Hanover County, 
where, on learning that Lafayette had been joined by 
Wayne, he went into camp until he could get a better 
view of the situation. 

British Raids. — He was not disposed to advance 
against the combined forces of the two American com- 
manders, who were at this time in Culpeper County; 
instead, he decided upon a series of raids through the 
unprotected country in the direction of Charlottesville. 
Colonel Tarleton, a dashing cavalry officer, was sent to 
capture Jefferson and the Virginia legislature, then at 
Charlottesville, while Colonel Simcoe was ordered with 
a small force to destroy some military stores that had 
been collected at Point-of-E^ork, near the mouth of the 
Rivanna River. 

Simcoe 's expedition was successful, but a timely 
warning saved Jefferson and the members of the legis- 
lature, who made their escape barely in time to avoid 
falling into the hands of Tarleton 's dragoons. In the 



174 SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 

meantime, Cornwallis had been busy devastating Albe- 
marle and the adjacent counties, destroying cattle and 
property, and either freeing or carrying off thousands of 
slaves. The destruction wrought by the British in these 
raids amounted to millions of dollars. 

Cornwallis Moves to Yorktown. — These conditions 
were not allowed to continue long, however. Lafay- 



\ 


1 

i 


.^^BIm>^m«MHB^^B| 


4 


•^^■'"f^:-.*^- 



BATTLE OF YORKTOWN 



ette, who had only been awaiting a favorable opportunity 
to strike the enemy, now moved his army with the inten- 
tion of cutting off the British. About this time, Corn- 
wallis received instructions from Clinton to embark for 
New York, where the British had been led to believe 
that Washington was planning an attempt to recapture 
the city. As he retreated down the James River, La- 
fayette and the Americans followed in close pursuit. 
.\ear the site of Jamestown, where he had avoided cap- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 175 

ture b}'' crossing the river, the British commander got 
word that reinforcements would not be needed at New 
York. Thereupon he marched to the little village of 
Yorktown, halted his army and began to throw up 
intrenchments. 

Siege of Yorktown. — This placed Cornwallis on the 
defensive ; but he had 8,000 men, and Lafayette, whose 
army numbered hardly half that many, concluded that 
it would be better to await assistance from Washing- 
ton before making an attack. When Washington was 
informed of the situation, and that Count de Grasse, 
with a French fleet of twenty-five ships carrjang 3,000 
troops had just entered the Chesapeake Bay, he 
promptly determined to combine the American and 
French forces and capture Cornwallis before Clinton 
could send reinforcements. The plan was kept secret, 
steps being taken to make Clinton believe that an attack 
was about to be made on New York. 

When the French fleet appeared and landed 3,000 
men to reinforce Lafayette, Cornwallis began to be 
uneasy, and a message was hurried to New York asking 
Clinton for more men. But Washington was already 
on his way to Virginia with the American army, and 
late in September, he and Count de Rochambeau joined 
Lafayette. The combined American and French forces 
now numbered fully 16,000 men. Thus, with the har- 
bor patrolled by the fleet under de Grasse, and con- 
fronted on land with an army twice as large as his own. 
Cornwallis found himself completely cut off on all 
sides. His only hope now lay in the speedy arrival of 
reinforcements from New York. Knowing that these 
were daily expected, Washington not only pressed the 
siege with vigor, but made every preparation for de- 
fense against an outside attack. As the days passed 
the American batteries poured a merciless fire into the 



176 SCHOOL ETSTORY OF VIRGINIA 

enemy's fortifications, and a series of bayonet charges 
resulted in the capture of all but the inner lines of the 
British defense. 

Comwallis Surrenders. — Cornwallis fully realized the 
hopelessness of long holding out against such odds, but 
he was determined to save his army if such a thing were 
possible. Failing in an attempt to cut his way through 
the besieging lines, he decided, as a last resort, to abandon 




M001>E HUUSE, YCRKTOVViN, IN WHICH TEBAls Vi oUKHi-iNUJiB 
WERE DRAWN BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND CORNWALLIS 

his sick and wounded, and to escape in some boats which 
had been made ready just across the York River. But 
the elements were against him, for a storm drove the 
boats ashore, and the undertaking had to be given up. 
No help had come from Clinton, and Cornwallis now 
decided to sue for peace. 

On October 17, he sent to Washington a flag of truce 
asking that fighting be discontinued for twenty-four 
hours to consider terms of surrender. But Washington 
was unwilling to delay so long, for fear that reinforce- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 177 

ments might arrive, and two hours was the time finally 
agreed upon. Two days were taken up in arranging 
the details, after Avhich. at noon on October 19, 1781, 
the surrender took place. The Americans and French 
were drawn up in separate lines facing each other, 
and between them, with flags furled, marched the 
conquered British, their bands playing the doleful air, 
"The world's upside down." 

The End of the War. — The surrender of Cornwallis 
not only marked the close of hostilities in Virginia, but 
practically brought to an end the War of the Revolution. 
Though peace was not formally agreed upon for nearly 
two years, England was convinced that it would be im- 
possible to restore her control over the colonies, and de- 
cided to abandon further operations against them. The 
independence of the colonies was recognized. 

Washington, in 1783, gave up his commission as 
commander-in-chief and returned to his home at Mount 
Vernon. He refused to accept any pay for the service 
he had rendered. Although glad to be again where 
he could enjoy the quiet life of a Virginia planter, 
he did not cease to take an interest in the affairs of the 
nation. After a few years he was called to be the first 
President of the United States, and we shall see that he 
served his country as faithfully in peace as in war. 

Governor Nelson.— In 1781, shortly before the siege 
of Yorktown began, Thomas Nelson was chosen governor 
to succeed Jefferson. Nelson was one of the most patri- 
otic of the many prominent Virginians of the Revolu- 
tionary period. During the early days of the British 
invasion, as commander of the Virginia forces, he ren- 
dered valuable service in organizing and equipping the 
militia prior to the arrival of Muhlenburg and Steuben. 
He was perhaps the wealthiest man in thp colony, and 



178 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

most of his fortune was spent in providing for the de- 
fense of Virginia. Besides contributing of his own 
means, while governor he added his personal security 
to that of the commonwealth in order to make it pos- 
sible to borrow money for carrying on the war. His 
home at Yorktown, which stood within the enemy's lines, 
was occupied by the British throughout the siege, and 
Nelson himself directed the American gunners to fire 
upon it. -/ 



- QUESTIONS. •' . 

1. When did the first fightiifg of the RevoJution take place in 
> by ■ Virginia? Between whom? How did Dunmore manage to 

raise an army? How many men did he have? Tell about 
his operations around Norfolk. 

2. Where did Dunmore later fortify himself.?. Who tried to 
capture him? What became of Dunmoref ' 

3. What damage was done by the British in Virginia in 1779? 
When was the next fighting of consequence? In what part 
of Virginia was there much fighting from this time to the 
close of the war? What did the British do in 1780? Who 
was sent by Washington to take charge of the defeijse of 
the colony? 

4. Who was Benedict Arnold? Tell about his capture of 
Richniond. . . 

5. Who reinforced Arnold? What was then done by the 
British? Whom did Washington send to defend Virginia? 
What did Arnold and Phillips next do? 

6. Why did Cornwallis decide to invade Virginia? What be- 
came of Arnold? Why was he generally disliked?" 

7. Why did Lafayette evacuate Richmond? Where did he go? 
What did Cornwallis do? 

8. Tell about the raids of the British in Virginia. Which of 
these raids came near being very serious? 

9. Why did Cornwallis move his army to Yorktown? Why 
did he remain at Yorktown? 

10. Give an account of the siege of Yorktown. Who aided the 
Americans? 

11. Tell about the surrender of Cornwallis. When did it take 
place? 

12. What followed the surrender? When did Washington give 
up command of the Continental army? What did he refuse 
to do? How long had he been commander-in-chief? 

13. Who was Grovernor Nelson? Tell about his services to Vir- 
ginia. 

14. Find on the map, (1) Matthews County, (2) Norfolk, (3) 
Portsmouth, (4) Petersburg, (5) Charlottesville, (6) York- 
town. (7) Hanover County, (8) Culpeper County. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 179 

VIRGINIA UNDER THE 
CONFEDERATION 

1781-1789. 



THE CONFEDERATION FORMED. 

GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA : 

Thomas Nelson (1781), Edmund Randolph (1786- 

Benj. Harrison (1781-1784). 1788). 

Patrick Henry (1784-1786). Beverly Randolph (1788- 

1791). 

Each Colony an Independent State. — From 1776 to 
1781, Virginia, as well as the other twelve colonies, was 
an independent state. The Continental Congress which, 
as we have . seen, was formed at the suggestion of the 
Virginia House of Burgesses in 1774, was only a means 
for the delegates representing the different colonies to 
get together and confer as to the best way of co-operat- 
ing in the war against England. As soon as war began, 
in 1775, each colony also formed a temporary govern- 
ment of its own, and in the following year they began 
to establish permanent governments. Virginia was 
among the first colonies to have a state constitution, 
and this constitution was used until a new one was 
adopted in 1830. 

The Confederation of Thirteen States. — During the 
Revolutionary War, however, each state Avas a sepa- 
rate country so far as government was concerned. 
The Continental Congress had been given no power 
over the states, which were "sovereign" common- 
wealths. As early as 1776, when the Virginia House of 
Burgesses, through its delegates in the Continental Con- 
gress, proposed a statement of the independence of 
each colony from Great Britain, it also suggested a con- 



180 SCHOOL UISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 

federacy of the colonies or states. This suggestion was 
put into the hands of a committee, which was told to pre- 
pare a plan of confederation. The committee drew up 
a plan in the form of Thirteen Articles of Confederation 
which were to become binding only when all of the 
states through their legislatures had agreed to them, and 
were to be changed only when every state had agreed 
to a change. The "sovereignty, freedom and independ- 
ence" of each state was made very clear and important 
in these Articles. 

It was not until 1781, however, that all of the states 
had agreed to the Articles of Confederation. The delay 
was caused by disagreement, particularly on the part of 
Maryland, over the division of the Northwest Territory. 

Virginia Cedes Her Northwest Territory. — Virginia 
had two claims to the Northwest Territory, which 
embraced nearly all the land lying between Pennsyl- 
vania and the Mississippi River north of the Ohio River, 
and to the Great Lakes. One claim was based on the 
charter of 1609, but as this charter was annulled in 
1624, the claim was not a very strong one. Massachu- 
setts, Connecticut, the Carolinas, Georgia, and New 
York, because of similar old charters, claimed parts of 
this land. But the other claim of Virginia was a much 
stronger and clearer claim. It was based on the fact 
that after Virginia had become an independent and sepa- 
rate sovereign state. Governor Patrick Henry, in 1778, 
authorized George Rogers Clark and his army of Vir- 
ginia soldiers to take all of this land from the British. 
The cost of Clark's expedition was paid out of the Vir- 
ginia treasury, and after Clark had defeated the British, 
he took possession of the country in the name of Vir- 
ginia. All of this Northwest Territory was made into 
the county of Illinois in October, 1778, and a "county 
lieutenant" was sent out to govern it. 



SCEOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 181 

Articles of Confederation Adopted.— Even after sev- 
eral of the states claiming the land had agreed to 
the justice of Virginia's claim, Maryland refused to 
agree. The Maryland legislature believed that this 
wild land had been taken as the result of the war against 
Great Britain by all the colonists, and that it belonged 
to no one state, but to all the states. Because Vir- 
ginia wanted the Articles of Confederation adopted as 
a benefit to all the states, she very unselfishly agreed 
to cede her share in the great Northwest Territory to the 
United States ; Maryland then agreed to sign the Arti- 
cles. They were signed by all the states in 1781, and 
the states Avere in the Confederation until the Consti- 
tution of the United States was adopted in 1789. 



QUESTIONS. 

How many years was Virginia an independent state? How 
long was the first constitution usedf 

What were the Articles of Confederation? When were 
they adopted by all of the colonies? Why was it necessary 
that all should sign them? 

What were Virginia's two claims to the Northwest Terri- 
tory? Which was the stronger? 

Why did Maryland refuse to sign the Articles? Why did 
she think that Virginia had no right to claim the North- 
west Territory? 



SETTLEMENT OF THE WESTERN COUNTIES. 

Settlement of the Western Part of Virginia. — As soon 
as the Revolutionary War was over, more people than 
ever before moved into the country west of the Allegha- 
nies. Thousands of families passed through Virginia 
and settled in that part of the state which is now West 
Virginia and Kentucky, and into Tennessee and the 
territory north of the Ohio. In the western lands still 



182 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

owned by Virginia after she ceded the Northwest Ter- 
ritory, the Virginia government had established a general 
land office and sent land agents and surveyors to mark 
out the land to be sold to settlers. The price of land 
was put at two cents an acre in order to encourage peo- 
ple to buy and settle on it. Companies were soon formed 
in America and in England, however, to buy up large 
tracts of land at this low price and to hold it to be sold 
at higher prices. The result was that a great deal of the 
best land got into the hands of these companies, which 
wanted such high prices for it that many of the settlers 
preferred to go into the territory north of the Ohio where 
they could get land for nothing. 

Who the Western Settlers Were. — In spite of this, 
however, by 1790 there were over 100,000 people in that 
part of Virginia west of the Alleghanies. These people 
came from many places. Some of them were immi- 
grants from Ireland, German3^ and other European 
countries. Others were from the piedmont section of 
Virginia* and North Carolina who had not been able 
to buy land there. Of those from the Piedmont sec- 
tion, some had owned small farms there, but they did 
not like slavery and sold their farms to go into a new 
country where there were no slaves. Still others were 
the sons of farmers in the Valley of Virginia and cattle- 
men of the same section who wanted farms of their own 
and more land for grazing. 

Roads to the Valley. — As the niimber of people who 
had settled in the Valley, between the Blue Ridge and 
the Alleghanies, and in the country west of thf Allegha- 
nies, increased, the trails that had been blazed through 
the forests gradually came to be used as roads. These 
roads were used by wagons carrying new settlers, their 

*What is known as Piedmont Virginia is that section east of the 
Blue Ridge Ridge Mountains and south of the James River down to the 
North Carolina line. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 183 

belongings and goods from the east to the new settle- 
ments, and bringing back furs, hides, ginseng, maple 
sugar and other products of the wilder sections to the 
eastern towns. 

There were two main wagon roads from eastern Virr 
ginia to the Valley. The first one was "Braddock's old 
road," once the trail over which General Braddock had 
marched to defeat in the war with the Indians and the 
French, which led from Alexandria to Winchester (for- 
merly Fort Loudon). This road was used by the farmers 
in the northern part of the Valley in trading with mer- 
chants in Alexandria. The second wagon road was from 
eastern Virginia to Rockfish Gap. After settlements 
had been made in Augusta County, about 1750, a "trail" 
was opened up for pack horses to Williamsburg. By 
1776 this had been widened into a passable wagon 
road, and at Eockfish Gap a branch road was made 
south to North Carolina. Over this southern branch 
many people came from Pennsylvania, passing through 
Virginia into the Yadkin Valley in North Carolina. 

The Knox Teams. — But as settlers w«nt still further 
west, longer roads were made to connect them with 
the seacoast. From 1750 to 1775, when people went into 
the wilds of what is now eastern Tennessee, they left 
trails which afterwards became wagon roads for the 
famous "Knox teams." By 1790 a fairly good wagon 
road had been made all along the Shenandoah and Hols- 
ton river valleys as far south as Knoxville, making it 
possible for the merchants of Knoxville to trade directly 
by means of "Knox team" caravans with Baltimore. 
These Knox team caravans consisted of ten or twenty 
wagons, each drawn by six horses. They hauled moun- 
tain products to Baltimore and city goods back to 
Knoxville. 



184 .'SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

The Wilderness Road. — Probably the most used of 
the Avestern roads through Virginia was the old "Wil- 
derness Road." This road was along the trail blazed 
by Daniel Boone from the Holston and Watauga settle- 
ments through the Cumberland Gap and across Ken- 
tucky to the Falls of the Ohio River, a distance of 300 
miles. There was already a trail made by the first set- 
tlers from the headwaters of the James and Shen- 
andoah rivers to the headwaters of the Holston and 
Watauga rivers. This trail thus led from the settle- 
ments along the James River to the Ohio River, and in 
spite of the great hardships encountered in traveling so 
rough and rugged a country, thousands of people used 
it instead of the route through Pennsylvania by way of 
Fort Pitt (now Pittsburg), and thence down the Ohio, 
because of the dangers from Indians on the Ohio River 
route. Boone's trail soon became constantly used and it 
was called the "Wilderness Road" because of the wild 
country through which it led. Mail was carried regu- 
larly on horseback over this road from Fort Washing- 
ton (now Cincinnati) to Philadelphia, a distance of 
800 miles. 

Kentucky Becomes a Separate State. — What is now 
the state of Kentucky was then the extreme western 
section of Virginia. When Virginia ceded her north- 
west territory to the United States, she was careful to 
reserve the Kentucky section for herself. In 1772 Ken- 
tucky Wcas a part of Fincastle County, named after the 
English home of Lord Botetourt, but in 1776 Fincastle 
County was divided into three counties, Washington, 
Montgomery and Kentucky. 

By 1785 Kentucky County had more than 20,000 peo- 
ple, and towns had been started at Louisville, Lexing- 
ton, Harrodsburg, Boonsboro, and Danville. The Ken- 



SCHOOL UISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 185 

tueky County people were so far away from the capital 
of the state at Richmond, however, that they began to 
believe that it would be better for them to become a sepa 
rate state.* In 1785, at a convention held at Danville, 
they decided to organize a commonwealth, having pre- 
viously received assurance from Virginia that she would 
agree to it. Kentucky remained a part of Virginia, 
however, until 1792, when she was admitted to the Union. 
Washington Points Out the Need for Internal Im- 
provements.— So rapidly did the settlements in the west- 
ern part of Virginia grow, and so many were the people 
who passed through Virginia to the western sections 
beyond, that there was need of making better roads and 
transportation routes. George Washington believed that 
unless something was done to give the western Virginians 
a good route to the coast, they would do like the Ken- 
tuckiaus finally did and form a separate state. He 
also thought that Virginia merchants would gain a great 
deal of trade if the people west of the Alleghan^!es could 
be given the means to trade in Alexandria, Norfolk and 
other eastern Virginia towns. He suggested that the 
rivers be made navigable for boats and that better 
wagon roads be constructed. In 1784 he visited the coun- 
try west of the Alleghanies to examine the courses of the 
rivers that might be used for navigation, and on his 
return he drew a map showing where roads and canals 

*Tliis \v!is not the first tiinp that an attemnt was made to form a n^w 
state out of Kentucky. In 1775 Richard Henderson, of Virginia, aided 
by Daniel Boone, formed the Transylvania Company, which bouijht from 
the Cherokee Indians the land bi twccn the Cumberland and Kentucky 
rivers. It was then that Boone blazed the trail known as the Wilder- 
ness Road. The settlers founded Boonsboro, and set up a government, 
asking to be made into a new state (1776), but Virginia would not 
agree to its separation at that time, making it a separate county, 
however. 



186 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

could be made to connect the Potomac and James 
rivers with the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.* 

His Suggestions Adopted. — In 1783 and 1784 many 
petitions were made by people in the western counties 
of the state to the Assembly of Virginia to make road 
and river improvements, and in 1784 Washington him- 
self visited the Assembly to urge the delegates to vote 
for the improvements that were proposed. As the result 
of his influence, Virginia agreed to join with Maryland 
and Pennsylvania to improve the Potomac River, and 
in the same year (1784) the Assembly chartered a joint 
stock company, the James River Company, to improve 
the James River. 

James Rumsey and His Experiments. — In the same 
year that the Virginia Assembly began to aid in improv- 
ing the Potomac and James rivers, it promised to pay 
James Rumsey for any invention which would make a 
boat move against the current. 

James Rumsey was born in Maryland, and after serv- 
ing as a soldier in the Revolutionary War, moved to 
Bath, Virginia (now called Berkeley Springs, in Morgan 
County, West Virginia). He had great riiechanical 
talent, and was a good carpenter, blacksmith and mill- 
wright. 

In 1783, Rumsey built a boat large enough to contain 
a boiler and engine and several passengers. It had 
neither propeller nor paddle wheels, such as steamers 
now have, but it was able to travel by the power of 
steam in a very unusual manner. Along the keel Or bot- 
tom was a long pipe, open at the stern. The engine was 
nothing more than a crude steam pump which drew in 
water from under the boat and forced it through the 

*Washington first suggested canals to connect these rivers when he 
was yet a young man, in 1753. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 187 

pipe and out at the stern so rapidly that the boat Avas 
pushed forward. 

In October, 1783, he made a secret experiment on the 
Potomac River. The experiment was not entirely sat- 
isfactory, but it was successful enough to make the 
inventor believe that he could make the boat a success 
and to lead him to ask the Virginia legislature to keep 
othei-s from copying his invention. A year later George 
Washington, who had a summer home at Bath, examin- 
ed a model of the boat and saw it run, and later wrote 
Rumsey that he believed that it would succeed. Wash- 
ington continued to encourage Rumsey, and Rumsey 
worked faithfully to perfect his "mechanical boat," 
as it Avas called. 

Rumsey and the First Steamboat. — In the meantime, 
Rumsey moved to Shepherdstown (now in West Vir- 
ginia), and after several mishaps, he announced that he 
would have a public trial of his steamboat in the fall 
of 1787. 

The trial took place on the Potomac River at 
Shepherdstown, and a crowd of curious people, among 
them General Horatio Gates, General William Darke, 
Major Henry Bedinger and other well-known men of 
that time. Two passengers got into the boat besides 
Rumsey, and the word was given to push off from the 
shore. The boat floated in the current while Rumsey 
busied himself getting the machinery started, but there 
was no hitch this time and soon the engine began work- 
ing smoothly. The boat swung around and went up 
the river, while a great shout came from the hundreds 
of people on the shore. As the boat made its way against 
the current by the power of steam alone, old, near- 
sighted General Gates, who had been watching it through 



!»» SCHOOL HISTORY Of i^lRGlNIA 

his fieldglasses, took off his hat and in awe-struck tones 
exclaimed : ' ' My God ! she moves ! ' ' The boat returned 
and made several other short trips that day at the rate 
of three miles an hour, carrying women and children on 
one of the trips. It w^as the first time in the history of 
the world that women had traveled on a steamboat. 

Other Successful Trials Made. — Other successful ex- 
periments were made later, and Rumsey went to Phila- 
delphia, where he interested Benjamin Franklin and 
others in his invention. Upon their advice, and with 
letters of introduction from Washington, Patrick Henry 
and many distinguished men, Rumsey set sail for Eng- 
land in 1788 to get his invention patented and to get 
English scientists interested in it. After a hard time he 
finally succeeded in having a boat one hundred feet long 
built, but he died suddenly in 1792, before he could see 
its success. It was in England that he met Robert Pul- 
ton, who has wrongly been given the credit in America 
for inventing the first steamboat in 1807. Rumsey was 
buried in London, and a tablet on his tomb proclaims 
him the inventor of the first steamboat. 



QUESTIONS, 

1. luto what regions did settlers begin moving in large num- 
bers after the Revolution? Why I What was soon done 
that caused many to settle in the territory north of the 
Ohio River? 

2. How many people were living in Virginia west of the Alle- 
ghanies in 1790? Where had these people come from? 
Why did many go from eastern Virginia? 

3. Trace on the map of Virginia the two main roads at this 
time from the eastern section to the Valley. 

4. What were the "Knox teams"? 

5. What was the Wilderness Road? Trace it on the map. 

6. When did Kentucky become a state? Of what Virginia 



.•SCHOOL HISTOIiY OF VIRGINIA 189 

county had it been a part before this? What was its pop- 
ulation in 1785? 

7. What were Washington 's ideas about internal improve- 
ments? 

8. What suggestion of his was adopted by the Assembly in 
1784? 

9. Tell about James Rumsey and the first steamboat. 

10. Describe his experiment in 1787. What did he do after 
this? Where did he go after leaving Virginia? 



QUESTIONS OF RP]LIGION AND SLAVERY. 

Some Other Matters in Which Virginia Was Inter- 
ested. — Besides the settlement of the western part of 
Virginia, the ceding of the Northwest Territory and the 
formation of a new state out of Kentucky County, the 
making of roads to the west and the new question of 
internal improvements, several other matters of great 
importance were interesting the Virginia people during 
the time Virginia was a state in the Confederation. 
Among these were : giving to all religious denominations 
tlie same rights, the protests against slavery, the belief 
that the states ought to be joined together to have a 
stronger central government than the Confederation pro- 
vided, and disagreements with Maryland over duties 
to be collected on goods imported from other countries. 

The Dissenters in Virginia. — As long as Virginia w^as 
an English colony, the Church of England, or Episco- 
pal Church, was the "established" church, or the 
church which the colonial government required all 
people either to attend or pay fines for staying away, 
and to support. Only Church of England ministers had 
the right to perform marriage cereinonies, and the church 
officers w^ere parish officers with the right to collect 
certain kinds of taxes. The churches themselves were 
given large tracts of land Avhich they could rent out. 



190 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

Other denominations, such as the Presbyterians, the 
Quakers and the Baptists, had at this time many mem- 
bers. The members of these denominations were called 
"dissenters," because they disagreed in religious be- 
liefs and differed 
from the Epis- 
copalians in their 
ideas as to how 
churches ought to 
be governed and 
supported. There 
were Methodists 
also, but they at 
this time were 
members of the 
Church of England 
and were against 
the dissenters. By 
the time the Revo- 
lutionary War be- 
gan, however, two- 
thirds of the Vir- 
ginia people were 
dissenters, and as 
soon as the first 
legislature met in 
1776, Thomas Jef- 

THOMAS JEFFERSON „ _ , 

ferson and others 
from middle and western Virginia, where the dissenters 
outnumbered the Episcopalians, introduced a bill to take 
away from the Episcopal Church some of its privileges. 
Although most of the members of the House of Burgesses 
were Episcopalians, a law w^as passed making it un- 
necessary for people to attend the Episcopal Church if 




SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 191 

they did not want to, allowing dissenters the right to 
vote and to build and support their own churches, and 
excusing them from supporting the Episcopal Church 
ministers. 

The Disestablishment of the Episcopal Church. — 
After the Revolutionary War the dissenters wanted more 
rights and asked the Assembly to take away from the 



BRUTON PARISH CHURCH, WILLIAMSlilKi > 

Episcopal Church all the rights that were not given to 
other churches. Jefferson at this time was in France, and 
James Madison, aided by George and William Cary 
Nicholas, was the leader of the dissenters. While Madi- 
son and several other prominent men Avere Episcopalians, 
they did not believe that one church should be favored 
more than any other. So, in 1783, the Assembly received 
requests to repeal the law requiring dissenters to pay 
taxes for the support of the Episcopal Church, to give 



192 SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 

dissenting ministers the right to perform marriage 
ceremonies, and to give dissenting churches a share 
in the lands which had heen given at public expense 
to the Established Church during the colonial days. Pat- 
rick Henry, aided by Washington, John Marshall, and 
Richard Henry Lee, took the side of the Episcopalians. 

The Methodists now also took the side of the dissent- 
ers, and so strong was the feeling against the state's hav- 
ing anything to do with the supporting of any church 
or giving property to any church, that the Assembly, 
in 1787, did as the dissenters wished. Since that time, 
no religious denomination has been given any special 
favors over others, and the people of the state have 
had the right to worship and conduct their churches 
as they pleased. No person has since been denied the 
right to vote or to hold office because of his religion. This 
was known as "Religious Freedom," and Jefferson 
counted it one of his achievements, of which he was more 
proud than of being President of the United States. 

Protests Against Slavery. — On the large plantations 
in tidewater Virginia, and to a considerable extent 
in central Virginia, slaves were used to till the ground, 
plant the crops, and do other work in the fields and in 
and around the homes of the white planters. The 
small farmers in the Valley of Virginia and in the 
newly settled country west of the Alleghanies, did not 
own slaves as a general rule, but did their own work. 
While Virginia was a state in the Confederation, there 
grew up a feeling against slavery in all that part of 
Virginia west of the Blue Ridge. 

There were three reasons for this. One was that 
some believed that it was wrong to own slaves. Those 
who opposed slavery for this reason were mostly dis- 
senters. The Quakers sent a petition to the Assembly 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 193 

in 1784, asking that slavery be abolished. Another rea- 
son was that the small farmers west of the Blue Ridge 
were opposed to the rich plantation owners of the east- 
ern counties, because the eastern people had more dele- 
gates in the Assembly than the people in the central 
and western part of the state. The small farmers were 
so insistent, that the Assembly passed laws encouraging 
the freeing of slaves by owners who were willing to set 
their slaves free. 

The Principal Objection to Slavery. — A third reason 
was that many persons, some of them slave owners, be- 
lieved that the owning of slaves did the owners harm, 
and would do harm to the whole state. George Mason, 
of Virginia, who wrote the first state constitution, 
stated this reason very clearly when he said that 
"slavery discouraged art and manufactures, led the 
poor to despise labor, prevented the immigration of 
white persons to the state, turned slave masters into 
petty tyrants, and brought the judgment of Heaven 
upon the country." Jefferson, although a slave owner 
himself, was also very much opposed to slavery and did 
everything he could to get rid of it. When Lafayette 
bought an estate in Virginia with the purpose of set- 
ting free the slaves on it, Washington, in a letter to 
him in 1783, said: "Would to God a like spirit diffuse 
itself in the minds of the people of this country." 
Washington was the owner of a large number of slaves 
on his plantation and his estates, and was a kind and 
considerate master. 

Thus there were a large number of the best people in 
the state who wanted to see the slaves set free, although 
many of the plantation owners, who depended upon 
slaves to do their work, opposed it.* The great diffi- 

*Virsinia was amon? the first sta'es to forbid the bringing in of any 
more sImvps from Africa. The .Assembly passed a law against slave 
importation in 1778. 



194 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

eulty was to find some way of setting them free which 
would not leave them Avithoiit care and means to sup- 
port themselves, since they were very ignorant and help- 
less, and without doing their owners, who had spent 
large amounts of money in buying slaves, serious 
injustice. 



QUESTIONS. 

In what matters were the Virginia people interested during 
the period of the Confederation? 

Who were known as "dissenters"? To what religious de- 
nominations did they belong? What privileges did the 
Episcopalians have that the dissenters did not have? 
Name some prominent men who favored the dissenters. 
Name four who took the side of the Episcopalians. When 
was the first act passed for disestablishing the Episcopal 
Church in Virginia? 

Why were more slaves needed in eastern than in western 
Virginia? Tell three reasons why many Virginians were 
opposed to slavery? 

How did Mason, Jefferson and Washington feel about slav- 
ery? What was the principal reason for opposing slavery? 



VIRGINIA'S SHARE IN FORMING THE UNION 

The Need of a New Central Government. — Because 
each of the thirteen states in the Confederation kept 
its independence and was not obliged to obey Congress, 
the central government had very little power. 

This soon led to a number of troubles, and several 
of the New England and eastern states threatened 
to secede or withdraw from the Confederation. Many 
of the wiser men in all of the states saw that unless 
something was done to give the central government 
more power, it would fall to pieces. The great trouble 
in the way of giving more power to the central govern- 
ment was that the states did not want to give up any 
of their own powers and rights. 



SCUOOL HI STORY OF VIRGINIA 195 

The question began to be widely discussed. What 
kind of a new central government and how to get all 
of the states to agree to it, were now the main things 
which interested the people. 

Virginia Takes the LeUd. — In Virginia, opinion was 
much divided on the kind of central government which 
would be best. The people living in the towns in east- 
ern Virginia, particularly those on the coast and on the 
rivers where ships from foreign countries came to 
trade, wanted a strong enough central government 
to make all of the states have the same laws for trade 
with Great Britain and the West Indies. The people 
in the Kentucky and piedmont sections of Virginia 
were anxious for each state to be as independent as 
possible and for the central government to have very 
little power. The people of the northwestern and Val- 
ley sections, many of whom had been soldiers under 
Washington, wanted a strong central government 
chiefly because he favored it. 

Acting on the suggestion of Maryland, Virginia in- 
vited the other states to send delegates to a convention 
to plan a ncAv central government. The convention was 
held in 1786, but delegates came from only five states. 
These delegates, hoAvever, asked Congress to call 
another convention. This was done, and in May, 1787, 
the convention met in Philadelphia. 

Washington was chosen to preside. Besides Washing- 
ton, the delegates elected from Virginia were Madison, 
George Mason, Patrick Henry, Edmund Randolph, 
George Wythe and James Blair. Patrick Henry, who 
did not believe that there ought to be one central govern- 
ment, refused to attend, and took no part in the con- 
vention. 



196 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

"The Virginia Plan." — The plan for a better central 
government, which was finally adopted, was that drawn 
up by two Virginians, Madison and Randolph, and was 
known as "the Virginia plan." It was according to 
this plan that the Federal government we now have was 
framed, and it was largely through the wisdom and 
elo(|uence of the Virginia delegates that it was adopted 
by the convention. When, after several months of 
argument, the plan was finished, it was in the form of 
a constitution. Washington was the first to sign it, 
and tlr'rty-eight other names were signed. Some of the 
delegates from Massachusetts and New York would not 
sign it. because they thought that too much power was 
planned to be given to the Federal government. 

Virginia Ratifies the Constitution. — The Constitution, 
before it could be put into force, had to be agreed to 
(ratified) by all of the states. A state convention was 
called by the Virginia legislature to decide whether 
Virginia should ratify it. Led by Patrick Henry and 
George Mason, the people of the Kentucky and pied- 
mont .sections opposed the proposed constitution be- 
cause they believed the state would lose its sovereignty. 
On the other hand, the people of the Valley and the 
tidewater sections, led by Madison, Randolph, Wythe, 
and others, and encouraged by Washington, who was 
not a meinber of the state convention, favored ratifica- 
tion. Those in favor of ratifi'^ation were called Feder- 
alists; those opposed, Anti-Federalists. The debate be- 
tween the delegates repre^ientin? eoeh side of Ihe ques- 
tion was long, but an able speech of Madison, in favor 
■of ratification, was so convincing, that, when the vote 
was taken on June 26, 1788, there were 89 ayes and 79 
noes, and Virginia had ratified the Constitution. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 197 

Before Virginia ratified the Constitution, nine other 
states had already done so. North Carolina and Rhode 
Island refused to take any action, but the other eleven 
states withdrew (seceded) from the (/onfederation and 
put the (Constitution into effect in 1788. 

In 1789, Washington, the Virginian who had com- 
manded the Continental Army against Great i^ritain, 
who had helped to get the states to join together in a 
stronger union, had presided over the convention which 
drew up the Constitution, and had done much to persuade 
his own state to ratify it, was elected the first President 
of the United States. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. In what way was Congress under the r'onfcflerat'on very weak? 

2. How were the people of Virginia divided on the need for a 
stronger central government! 

3. What part did Virginians take in forming a new Federal gov- 
ernment? 

4. How were the people of Virginia divided on ratifying the new 
Federal constitution? How did Washington, Patrick Henry, 
Madison, Randolph, Mason, and Wythe stand on the que=t'ont 

5. Wliat part did Washington take in the forming of the new 
nation and of the Uu'ted States government? When did Vir- 
ginia ratify the ("onsttution? Who was elected the first pres- 
ident of the United States? 



SCHOOL HISTOKT OF VIRGINIA 



VIRGINIA IN THE UNION 



1789-1861. 



PRESIDENT OP THE UNITED 
STATES : 

(Jeorge Washington (1789- 

1797) 
John Adams (1797-1801). 
Thomas .Jefferson (1801-1809). 
James Madison (1809-1817). 
James Monroe (1817-1825). 
.John Quincy Adams (1825- 

1829). 
Andrew Jackson (1829-1837). 
Martin Van Buren (1837- 

1841). 
William Henry Harrison 

(1841). 
.Tohn Tvler (1841-1845). 
James K. Polk (1845-1849). 
Zachary Taylor (1849-1850). 
Millard Fillmore (1850-1853). 
Franklin Pierce (1853-1857). 
James Buchanan (1857-1861). 

GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA: 

Beverly Eandolnh (1788-1791). 
Henry Lee (1791-1794). 
Robert Brooke (1794-1796). 
•Tames Wood (1796-1799). 
.Tames Monroe (1799-1802). 



John Page (1802-1805). 
William H. Cabell (1805- 

1808). 
.Tohn Tyler (1808-1811). 
James Monroe (1811 — re- 
signed).* 
.Tames W. Barbour (1812- 

1814). 
Wilson C. Nicholas (1814- 

1816). 
James P. Preston (1816- 

1819). 
Thomas M. Randolph (1819- 

1822). 
James Pleasants (1822-1825). 
John Tyler (1825-1827). 
William' B. Giles (1827-1830). 
,Tohn Floyd (1830-1834). 
L. W. Tazewell (1834-1836). f 
David Campbell (1837-1840). 
Thomas W. GUmer (1840- 

1841).$ 
.Tames McDowell (1843-1846). 
William Smith (1846-1849). 
.Tames B. Flovd (1849-1852). 
Joseph .Tohnso'n (1852-1856). 
Henry A. Wise (18.56-1860). 
John Letcher (1860-1864). 



The period between 1789, vi^hen Virginia became a 
state in the Union, until 1861, when Virginia withdrew 
from the Union to be one of the Confederate States, is 
known as "the ante-bellum days." During these seventy- 
two years Virginia grew in population and in wealth, 



* Lieutenant-Governor G. W. Smith became governor in 1811, but was 
killed in the Richmond Theatre disaster, and was succeeded by Peyton 
Randolph, actine: until 1812. 

tGovernor Tazewell served only part of his term, Lieutenant-Governor 
Wyndham Robertson acting until 1837. 

tGovernor Gilmer resigned in 1841; the senior members of the Council, 
J. M. Patton, John Rutherford and John M. Gregory, acting until 1843. 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VTBGINIA 199 

and, until the feeling between the North and the South 
became bitter, occupied a position of great importance 
and power among the states. Her population increased 
from 747,610 in 1790 to 1,596,318 in I860.* Towns, 
some of which were little more than villages in 1790, 
grew into cities. Richmond, for example, in 1790 con- 
tained only 3,76] people, but in 1860 its population 
was 37,910, over ten times as large. In 1860 Norfolk 
had grown to be a city of 14,620 population; Petersburg 
had 18,266 inhabitants; Portsmouth, 9,496, and Lynch- 
burg, 6,853. 

During these years several hundred miles of roads 
(turnpikes) were constructed, a canal along the James 
River was dug from Richmond to Buchanan and up 
North River to Lexington, besides the making navigable 
of several other rivers, and 1,350 miles of railroad were 
built. Many other similar improvements had been be- 
gun, but the Civil War put an end to them. Several 
colleges were started, and the University of Virginia, 
founded in 1818, became the center of education in the 
South, By 1860 the people of Virginia were prosperous 
and hopeful of even better times than they had ex- 
perienced in the past. 

*The population of Virginia m 1830 and 1860, by sections, whites and 
negroes, was as follows: 

1830 1860 

Valley of Virginia 174,308 207,294 

Free Negroes 4,745 5,319 

Slaves : 34,772 38,798 

White 134.791 163,177 

TransAlleghany Virginia 204,117 358,504 

Free Negroes 1,598 2,482 

Slaves 18,665 24,436 

White 183,854 331,586 

Piedmont Virginia 451,543 463,939 

Free Negroes 12,026 13,166 

Slaves 230,861 234,057 

Whites 208.656 216,716 

Tidewater Virginia 381,438 399,126 

Free Negroes 28,980 32,790 

Slaves 185,457 178,681 

Whites 167,001 187,655 



200 SCHOOL mSTOEY OF FIBQINIA 

The year 1830 was a sort of dividing line, however, 
in the history of ante-bellum days. From 1789 until 
then, Virginia was a leading state in the Union, because 

Vir^nians were 
leaders in the 
nation's govern- 
ment; after IS'^O 
the Virginians be- 
came more inter- 
ested in improving 
their own state, in 
questions within 
Virginin. such as 
internal improve- 
ments, slavery and 
education, and in 
the South as an in- 
dependent section 
of the country. We 
have seen, too. that 
the settlers in the 
middle and west- 
ern sections of the 
state were very dif- 
ferent from the 
eastern Virginians; 

JOHN RANDOLPH • . j • -it- 

in studying Vir- 
ginia's history in the ante-bellum days we shall see that- 
this difference caused many conflicts on almost every 
question in which Virginians were interested. 

Before studying these matters in detail, there were 
several other events of importance which we shall take 
up first. 




SCHOOL EISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 201 

LEADING EVENTS. 

"The Virginia Dynasty." — Virginians not only played 
a leading part in the war against Great Britain for 
independence and in the forming of the new nation, 
but for nearly forty years after the Constitution of the 
United States Avas adopted, they guided the affairs 
of the country in difBcult times. From 1789 until 
1825, a period of thirty-six years, the presidents of the 
United States were Virginians, with the exception of 
John Adams of Massachusetts, who was President for 
four \'ears of that time. This period has been appropri- 
ately called the period of "the Virginia dynasty." 

George Washington was, as we have seen, elected the 
first President in 1789, During his first term the hard 
task of getting the new Federal government started 
was accomplished. He was re-elected in 1793. and his 
patience and wisdom, and the respect in which he was 
held, kept those who disagreed on many questions in 
harmony. Because he was naturally dignified and so 
universally respected, some accused him of wanting 
to be king. The truth is that more than once he said 
that he would rather live on his farm than be President. 
He accepted a second term only because he thought it 
his duty to his country, and declined a third term, re- 
tiring to his home at Mount Vernon, where he d'ed in 
1799. Washington took a keen interest in Virginia ques- 
tions in spite of the perplexing and difficult national 
affairs during his presidency, and was respons'ble for 
starting a number of the important internal improve- 
ments bv which he hoped that his own state might con- 
tinue to be the erreatest commonwealth in the Union. 

Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. — Three other Vir- 
ginians each served two terms as President. After the 



202 



SCHOOL HISTOET OF VIRGINIA 



four years of President Adams' adminstration, Thomas 
Jefferson was elected in 1801. By his foresight, the 
area of the United States was more than doubled by the 
purchase of the Louisiana territory from the French 

and the Lewis- 
Clark expedition 
to the Oregon 
territory. James 
Madison was tirst 
e 1 e e t e d in 1809. 
During his admin- 
istration came the 
war of 1812 with 
England. It was 
while he was Presi- 
dent, too, that the 
Supreme Court of 
the United States, 
the chief justice of 
which was John 
Marshall,* another 
great Virginian, 
made several im- 
portant decisions 
explaining the 
meaning of the 
JOHN TYLER Federal Constitu- 

tion as to the powers of the state and the national gov- 
ernments. James Monroe* succeeded Madison, being 
first elected in 1817. He had many difficulties with 
foreign nations to deal with, and the stand he took that 
European nations must not interfere with the affairs 




3ee Appendix A. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIBGINIA 203 

of any country on the American continents was set 
forth in the famous ''Monroe Doctrine." It was dur- 
ing his administration that the great question of a 
"protective tariff" first came up. The New England 
and the western states wanted high import duties on 
manufactured goods, so that goods made in foreign 
countries could be kept out and goods made in this 
country should supply what was needed. Two Vir- 
ginians in Congress were leaders on opposite sides of 
this question. Henry Clay, born in Virginia but then 
a Kentuckian, favored "protective" or higher duties, 
and John Randolph "of Roanoke," an eastern Vir- 
ginian, opposed them. 

Two Other Virginia Presidents. — In 1841, John Tyler, 
of Virginia, who was elected Vice-President in 1840, 
succeeded President Martin Van Buren, who had died 
shortly after he was inaugurated. Tyler was President 
under trying circumstances. The question of allowing 
slavery in new states as they were formed caused much 
discussion, and Tyler was a man who thought for him- 
self and did as he thought right regardless of whether 
his friends agreed with him or not. Hence he became 
unpopular with the Whig party, which did not believe as 
he did about slavery. Possibly the greatest achievement 
of his administration was the annexation of Texas as 
a state. In 1848. General Zachary Taylor, who later won 
fame in the war with Mexico, was elected President. 
Taylor was a Virginian only by birth and had lived 
nearly all his life in Tennessee. 

Trial of Aaron Burr, 1807.— The famous trial of 
Aaron Burr, once Vice-President of the United States, 
for treason, took place in Richmond in 1807. Burr was 
accused of conspiring with enemies of the United States 
to seize some of its (territory and set up a government 



204 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

of his own. JeflPerson, who was then President, had 
him arrested and brought to trial before John Marshall, 
Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The 
trial attracted a great deal of attention. Burr was 

acquitted because 
there was not 
enough evidence to 
prove the charge 
against him, but 
there were many 
people who believed 
him guilty. After 
wandering in many 
countries, B u i r 
died in poverty and 
obscurity in New 
York several years 
later. 

The Richmond 
Theatre Disaster, 
1811. — The first 
great theatre disas- 
ter in the United 
States occurred in 
Richmond in 1811. 
One hundred and 
twenty-five people 

when the Richmond theatre was burned during the 
production of a play. In the audience were a number 
of distinguished men and their wives, several of whom 
perished. Among them was the governor of the s ate, 
G. W. Smith, and Ex-United States Senator A. B. V n- 
able. The people were trapped in the theatre by the 




SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 205 

flames, and, besides those who lost their lives, there 
were scores who were injured by the fire and hurt iu 
the wild scramble to get out of the blazing building. 
The fire-fighting apparatus of those days was very poor, 
and there was no way to stop the fiames after they had 
started. The catastrophe caused the whole state to 
mourn for the governor and the many others who died 
in so fearful a manner, and the entire nation was ap- 
palled. 



QUESTIONS. 

What are known as the "ante-bellum" days in Virginia? 
"What towns grew to be cities during this period? What 
canal improvements were made? What other transporta- 
tion improvements were made? 

What (lifferences in mitters interesting the people were 
seen before and after 1830? 

What is known as the period of "the Virginia Dynasty"? 
What was Washington 's chief reason for accepting the 
presidency of the United States? 

Name the most important events during the administra- 
tions of Jefferson, Madison and Monroe. 
What important question began to be discussed during the 
administration of John Tyler? 

Tell about the trial of Aaron Burr. When and where was 
it held? 

What terrible disaster occurred in Eichmond in 1811? 
What prominent men lost their lives? 



The War With Great Britain.— While Jefferson was 
President, some high-handed acts by Great Britain 
caused a feeling of unfriendliness between the United 
States and that country. These acts continued for 
several years until after Madison had become President. 
Both Jefferson and Madison wished to avoid war, but 
Great Britain showed such a haughty and selfish spirit 
to the United States that war was declared in 1812. 



206 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF I^IBGINIA 



The was lasted about two years. Most of the fight- 
ing was along the Canadian border, and on the Great 
Lakes. Lieutenant-Colonel Winfield Scott, a Virgin- 
ian, distinguished himself in stopping the British from 
invading the United States, The British navy, boasted 
of as the strongest in the world, Avas defeated by the 
smaller and fewer American vessels in 1813 in a num- 
ber of sea fights. But the superior number of British 

ships w a s later 
able to blockade 
the American 
ports along the 
Atlantic coast. 

The British In- 
vade Virginia. — 
Toward the sum- 
mer of 1813, Ad- 
m i r a 1 Cockburn 
and his British 
fleet sailed up 
Chesapeake Bay 
and did a great 
deal of damage to 
property on the 
Virginia shores on 
both sides of the 
bay. 
On June 22, 1813, tlie British attacked Craney Island, 
which is about three miles from the mouth of the 
Nansemond River. Admiral (^oekbiirti had between 
fifteen and twenty vessels, and he landed about 2,500 
infantry and marines in the rear of the half finished 
American fort on the island, which was defended by 
about 600 militia from Virginia and a battery of nine 




JAMES MADISON 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 207 

guns. The Virginians determined to fight hard and they 
nailed their flag fast to the pole. They succeeded in re- 
pulsing the attack from the rear, but while they were 
doing this another British force composed of about 
1,500 men was being sent in about fifty barges from the 
ships. As, they, approached and before they landed, the 
Americans fired upon them,, sinking four or five of the 
barges and shattering several others. The British re- 
turned to their ships, having lost in the battle about 
200 killed and wounded. The enemy landed a large 
force, however, on the mainland and captured Hamp- 
ton. The conduct of the British admiral and other 
officers in allowing their soldiers and the negroes 
who followed them to commit fearful outrages on 
defenseless people so stirred up the Virginians that 
large forces of militia assembled and drove the British 
back to the ships. 

Alexandria Attacked by British. — In 1814, another 
British fleet sailed up the Chesapeake Bay, defeated the 
Americans at Bladensburg, Maryland, marched to 
"Washington and burned the White House, the unfin- 
ished Capitol and other public buildings, besides ravag- 
ing Alexandria and the surrounding country. Their 
victorious expedition was stopped when they attacked 
Baltimore, however.* 

In the west, Andrew Jackson defeated the Indians who 
were helping the British, and in the last battle of the 
war at New Orleans he and his riflemen gained a great 
victory over the British veterans under General Paken- 
hara. The end of the war came with the treaty of Ghent, 
December 24, 1814, although the battle of New Orleans 
was fought two weeks later because news of peace had 
not then reached there. 

*It was on this occasion that Francis Scott Key composed "The Star 
Spangled Banner." 



208 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

The Old Capitol Burned. — In 1832, the old eapitol 
building at Williamsburg, in which the House of Bur- 
gesses met before Richmond was made the state capital, 
was destroyed by fire. Although nothing was left of the 
historic building except its foundations and blackened 
walls, the state records and papers were saved. 

The Mexican War. — In 1846, war broke out between 
the United States and Mexico. This war was brought 
about over the annexation of Texas during the admin- 
istration of President John Tyler, a Virginian. Texas 
had been a province of Mexico, but a large number of 
Americans had settled there. The government of 
Mexico was oppressive to these settlers, and, in 1836. 
the Texaus declared their state independent. When 
Mexico tried to force them to continue under Mex- 
ican rule, the Texans, led by General Sam Houston, 
a Virginian, defeated the Mexicans under General 
Santa Anna. They then formed a new republic with 
Houston as the president. Nine years later Texas 
asked to be admitted to the United States, and this 
was agreed upon in 1845. 

Virginians in the War. — Texas claimed more terri- 
tory than Mexico was willing to give up, and General 
Zachary Taylor, a Virginian, w^as sent with United 
States troops to take possession of the disputed terri- 
tory. This led to a general war, which lasted from 1846 
to 1848. Most of the American soldiers in the war were 
from the Sou^^h, and many of them were Virginians. 
The two leading American generals, Zachary Taylor 
and Winfield Scott, were Virginians. Besides these. 
a number of other Virginians distinguished themselves 
on the American side, among them being Robert E. 
Lee and Thomas J. Jackson. Along with Lee and 
Jackson in this war fought Ulysses S. Grant and 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF FIRGINT2 209 

George B. McClellan. All four of these young officers 
were later to become famous in the Civil War. 

The Gold Mining "Fever," 1849.— When gold was 
discovered in California, many Virginians, lured by the 
hope of becoming rich by mining the precious metal, 
joined the large crowd of "forty-niners" — so called 
because they went in 1849 — who undertook the long 
trip across the Rocky Mountains and the desert to the 
Pacific coast. In Richmond some fifty wealthy men 
formed the "Madison Mining Company" for the pur- 
pose of mining gold in California. Some of them went 
to the new gold fields and took a number of adventur- 
ous gold-seekers with them. Many of them never came 
back, and others returned broken in spirit and without 
gold or money. 

The Yellow Fever Epidemic. — In 1855, Norfolk and 
Portsmouth were visited by a yellow fever epidemic from 
which nearly 2,000 people died. It was called "The 
Great Pestilence" and lasted for three months. In Nor- 
folk one out of every three persons died from the disease, 
because at that time no one knew how to prevent it or 
treat people who were sick with it. The physicians 
of those two cities stayed bravely at their work of help- 
ing the victims the best they knew how, although half of 
them lost their own lives in the epidemic. 

The disease was thought to have been brought to Nor- 
folk by a ship from St. Thomas which had some yellow 
fever cases on board. As soon as it became known that 
the disease had started in Norfolk, many people moved 
away to other parts of the state. In September the 
fearful scourge was at its worst. People died by the dozen 
every day, and the hearses carried two, three and four 
corpses out to the cemeteries at each trip. There were 
from sixty to eighty new cases every day in Norfolk and 



230 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

from twenty to thirty a day in Portsmouth. By October 
very few new cases occurred, but it was several months 
before those who had left the two towns would go back 
to their homes. Many families had been wiped out, and 
hundreds of people lost their relatives and friends. The 
sum of $200,000, subscribed all over the state, was used 
to relieve the sick, bury the dead and care for the 
bereaved ones. 

Literature Before the Civil War.^Virginians during 
this period were more interested in politics, internal 
improvements and the industrial development and set- 
tlement of the western counties than in poetry or 
novels. Especially in the years from the Revolution 
until 1830, the writings were on political topics, among 
which may be mentioned particularly the writings of 
Jefferson, Madison, Edmund Pendleton and John Tay- 
lor, who discussed national and state political matters. 
A large number of pamphlets were written on these 
questions, and much of the space in the newspapers was 
devoted to them. 

The newspapers of those days contained compara- 
tively little news, but gave much attention to editorials, 
essays, and letters on public questions. The leading 
newspaper of the time was the Richmond Enquirer, 
founded by Thomas Jefferson and Spencer Roane, and 
edited for over forty years by Thomas Ritchie, who was 
an able writer. Other important newspapers were the 
Lynchhurg Republican, the Richmond Whig, the Kana- 
ivha RepnhUcan, the Norfolk Herald, the Winchester 
Republican, and the Alexandria Gazette. 

Robert Howison w^rote the most important history of 
Virginia of this period, and a number of books and 
pamphlets on language and literature and mathematical 
subjects were written by professors in the University 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



211 



of Virginia and other colleges. In 1834 the Southern 
Literary Messenger, the best known southern magazine, 
was started in Richmond, and was published for a num- 
ber of years. It contained a large number of well writ- 
ten articles and some of Ww Itcst ])()etry of the time. 

Story Writers 
and Poets. — The 
best novels, 
stories, and poetry 
by Virginia writ- 
ers came after 
1830, however, al- 
though political 
writings wei'^ 
more numerous 
even until the 
Civil War. John 
Pendleton Kenne- 
dy published, in 
1832, a novel en- 
titled "Brace- 
bridge Hall," 
dealing with Vir- 
ginia life, and la- 
ter wrote several 

other novels which were widely read. John Esten 
Cooke published his first novel, ''Virginia Comedians" 
sh6rtly before the Civil War, and this is considered by 
some to have been the best novel published in the South 
in the ante-bellum days. 

But the greatest poet and short story writer in all 
Virginia's history, Edgar Allan Poe, lived and wrote 
at this time. Although born in Boston, he lived in the 
South. Avas a student at the University of Virginia, and 
did most of his best work in Virginia. He was for 




EDGAR ALLAN POE 



212 SCHOOL BISTORT OF VIBGINIA 

several years editor of the Southern Literary Messenger, 
and he began publishing his wonderful tales in 1833 
after publishing two volumes of poetry in 1827 and 
1831. His most famous poem, "The Raven," was pub- 
lished in 1845, four years before his untimely death. 

QUESTIONS. 

1. What caused war between the United States and England 
in 1812? How long did it last? Tell about the fighting 
outside Virginia. 

2. When did the British invade Virginia? What damage did 
they do? 

3. What damage did a British fleet do in 1814? What was 
the last battle of the war? What treaty ended the war? 

4. What building was destroyed by lire at Williamsburg in 
1832? How long since this build.'ng had been used? 

.5. What caused war between the United States and Mexico in 
1846? What two leading generals were Virginians? Name 
some other Virginia officers. What may be said of Vii-- 
giuia's part in the war? When did this war end? 

6. What is known as the gold mining "fever" of 1849? 

7. Give an account of the yellow fever epidemic in Norfolk 
and Portsmouth in 1855. 

8. Who were some of the leading writers on political topics in 
Virginia before the Civil War? Name some of the news- 
papers of that time. What was the best known magazine 
in the South? When was it started? 

9. Name some of the writers of novels and short stories. 
What were some of their books? Who was Edgar Allan 
Poe? What is his most famous poem? 



CONFLICT BETWEEN EAST AND WEST. 

The Old Antipathy Grows. — In the history of Vir- 
ginia under the English crown and in the Confederation 
we saw that there were wide differences in the people 
who lived in eastern Virginia and in western Virginia, 
These differences during the ante-bellum period resulted 
in many conflicts on almost every question of impor- 
tance that came up. 

In' 1810, when the delegates and senators were appor- 
tioned to the counties according to the population, east- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 213 

ern Virginia counties, having the greatest population 
at that time, had more delegates than the rest of the 
state. Later on, when the population of the counties 
in western Virginia had grown much larger, the eastern 
counties had more than their share of the representatives 
in the Assembly. Hence the eastern counties were able 
to vote* down any proposals made by the other sections 
of the state. 

Questions on Which East and West Divided. — This 
led to many bitter controversies. The western people, 
as we shall see, wanted to establish a public free school 
system, to abolish slavery, and to baild roads and 
canals in western Virginia. The east opposed these 
things, because heavier taxes would have to be levied 
on its wealthier people in order to obtain the necessary 
money. The western people wanted to allow all white 
men over twenty-one years of age to vote instead of 
allowing the vote to only those who owned a certain 
amount of property. If this could be done, then the 
constitution could be so changed as to allow the west- 
ern people enough representatives in the Assembly to 
pass laws putting a heavier tax on slaves as well as 
other property, to furnish money for schools and im- 
provements. 

The eastern people, who owned many slaves and large 
plantations as well as other valuable property, were 
opposed to tli'S They believed that the amount of 
property, not the number of people, ought to be the 
basis on which the number of voters and representatives 
should be dettrmined and the government be conducted. 

The Constitutional Convention of 1829-1830— In 1825 
the western people began urging a convention to change 
the constitution which had been made in 1776. Had it 



214 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

not been that many eastern people did not like the way 
the county courts were conducted, the convention prob- 
ably would not have been held, but, by a small majority, 
the voters decided to call a convention, and delegates 
were elected. The convention met on October 5, 1829, in 
Richmond. Among its members were some of the most 

distinguished men 
of the day : James 
Madison and 
James Monroe, 
both of whom had 
been Presidents of 
the United States; 
John Marshall, the 
great Chief Justice 
of the United 
States Supreme 
( 'ourt ; Governor 
W. B. Giles; two 
United States Sen- 
ators, L. W. Taze- 
well and John Ty- 
ler, who later was 
President of the 
United States ; 
eleven Congress- 
men, among whom 
was John Ran- 
dolph ; and such 

JAMES MONROE ,^^ ^ ^ ^^ g^ ^ 

Leigh, Chapman Johnson, and Lewis Summers. Peo- 
ple came not only from all over Virginia to hear these 
famous men debate, but from many other states and 
even from foreign countries. Because the questions 
at stake were so important and because the convention 




SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 215 

was composed of so many noted and able men, Thomas 
Ritchie, the famous editor of the Richmond Enquirer, 
urged that Virginians had before them a great oppor- 
tunity. "The eyes of the world are upon us," he fre- 
quently wrote in his editorials. 

What the Convention Did. — In spite of several 
months of brilliant debate and of thoughtful discus- 
sion, however, the convention did very little to settle 
the vexing questions. Except in some unimportant 
things, the constitution was not changed, and when it 
was finally adopted by the convention and approved 
at a general election by the people, the western A^ir- 
ginians were more dissatisfied than ever before. 

But one very important thing did result. Before the 
convention was called the counties in the Valley and the 
northern part of central Virginia had always taken 
sides with the counties on the western side of the Alle- 
ghany Mountains. The new constitution so changed 
the way in which members of the General Assembly were 
apportioned to the counties, that these central counties 
had more representatives than before and the people 
in that section were better satisfied. So that when the 
old differences between east and west came up, the central 
Virginia counties very often took sides with the eastern 
counties. This change meant that the dividing line 
between eastern and western Virginia was the Alle- 
ghany Mountains instead of the Blue Ridge. 

Western Virginians Threaten to Form a New State. — 
The people west of the Alleglianies did not give up 
their fight, however; but they Avere able to change their 
argument. 

Between 1830 and 1850 the western counties rapidly 
increased in population, many new settlers coming in. 
Tn 1830 the counties east of the Blue Ridg'^e had 57,000 



216 SCilOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

more white people than the counties west of it ; in 1840 
this was reversed, the counties west of the Blue Ridge 
having 2,172 more white people than had the eastern 
counties. Furthermore, the western people gradually 
owned much more property than before. So that after 
1840 they began demanding another convention to 
change the constitution. Their argument to the east- 
ern Virginians was this: "In 1829-1830 you refused to 
allow us more voters and more representatives in the 
Assembly because we did not have enough property 
to give us the right to them. Now we have not only 
more people, but we have a great deal more property, 
and according to your own argument you ought to give 
us a larger share in the state government." 

The Assembly, controlled by the eastern Virginians, 
refused several times to call another constitutional con- 
vention. Then the western Virginians began to take 
steps to form a new state to be called *'Appalachia." 
Several meetings were held in Charleston and Lewisburg, 
and the newspapers in the western counties contained 
many editorials and letters urging separation. When 
it seemed that the western counties were in earnest 
about separation from Virginia, the eastern counties as 
well as the central counties began to believe that they 
would have to yield. Finally the Assembly called a 
new convention in 1850, and it met in Richmond in 
August of that year. 

The Constitutional Convention of 1850-1851.— The 
new convention was not composed of so many dis- 
tinguished men as the convention of 1829-1830, but it 
aocompl'shed a great deal more. The western Virgin- 
ians, strange to say, found a leader in an eastern man, 
Henrv A. Wise.* of Accomac County. Under his leader- 

*See Appendix A. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 217 

ship two important changes were made. One was that 
all white men over twenty-one years of age were to be 
allowed to vote, and the other was that property of 
every kind was to be taxed in the same way all over the 
state, but with special taxes on slaves. Although the 
western counties wanted a high tax on slaves, they were 
much better satisfied with the settlement of the voting 
(or suffrage) question. Even while the convention was 
in session, many threats of separation were made in 
the western counties, and it was only because of these 
threats and the work of Wise in the convention that the 
eastern Virginians surrendered on this point. The new 
constitution, after being adopted by the convention, was 
ratified by the voters in 1851. 

The Real Differences Never Settled.— The result of 
the new constitution was that, as we shall see, the repre- 
sentatives from counties west of the AUeghanies, with 
the occasional help of the representatives from the Val- 
ley, were able to get laws passed by the Assembly for 
extensive internal improvements in the western part of 
the state. But the diflPerences between the people east 
and west of the AUeghanies were too great to be set- 
tled. The western Virginians had not only, from 
1789 to 1860, been opposed to their eastern neighbors 
on state questions, but they had taken the s"de of the 
North in national questions. Eastern Virginians for the 
most part were Democratic-Republ'cans, or Democrats 
as they were called after 1827. Western Virginians 
were Federalists, or Whigs as they were called until 
about 1852, or Republicans as they were known after- 
wards. The Democrats believed in the states retaining 
the poAver in the Federal or national government, and 
in the right of secession; the Federalists, or Whigs, or 
Republicans, believed in more power for the Federal 
government. 



218 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Hence, when the great question of seceding from the 
Union came up in 1860 and 1861, the Virginians east of 
the Alleghanies naturally took the side of the South, 
while probably a majority of the Virginians west of 
the Alleghanies naturally took the side of the North. 
The formation of West Virginia as a new state in 1861 
and 1862 came, not so much because of the war, but be- 
cause of the differences in the people on the two sides 
of the iVlleehanv Mountains. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Why weie the eastern Virginians able to outvote the west- 
ern Virginians in the Assembly prior to 1850? 

2. On what important questions were the eastern and western 
sections divided? How did they fliffer in their opinions on 
these matters? 

3. What famous men were members of the constitutional con- 
vention in 1829-1830? 

4. What very important thing did tiiis convention do? 

5. Why were the people west of the Alleghanies not pleased 
with the constitution of 1830? What did they threaten to 
do? What followed this? 

6. AVhat did the constitutional convention of 1850-1851 do? 
How did it differ from the former convention? What two 
important changes were made in the constitution? Who 
was the leader of the western Virginians? 

7. Make a list of all of the differences between the two sec- 
tions. Why were the differences never settled? What was 
the result several years later? 

8. How many constitutional conventions had Virginia had up 
to this time? 



INDUSTRIAL CHANGES. 

Two Changes Between 1790 and I860.— By 'indus- 
trial changes" we mean the changes in the prosperity 
and wealth of the people. Two very important changes 
of this kind occurred in the time between 1789, when 
Virginia became a state in the Union, and in 1861, when 
Virginia seceded from the Union and became one of the 
Confederate States. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



219 



The first one Avas between about ]790 and about 1830. 
When Virginia took her place among the states of the 
new nation, everything appeared very bright and hope- 
ful. Virginia was the largest state as well as the lead- 
ing state. The people in the eastern part of Virginia 
wexe wealthy and 
sold the tobacco they 
raised on their large 
plantations at a good 
profit in Europe and 
in the West Indies. 
The people in the 
western part of Vii- 
ginia were growing 
more numerous, and 
great plans were be- 
ing made for build- 
ing roads and con- 
structing canals to 
open up the country 
west of the Ohio 
which would bring 
all the new trade of 
that immense terri- 
tory through Virginia. 

Virginia Falls Behind. — But in 1830, Virginia faced 
discouragements. She had lost the Kentucky territory 
and nearly 700,000 of her population. The people of 
Europe had begun to raise tobacco for themselves and 
were not buying as much Virginia tobacco as before. 
The Virginia farmers had been careless with their land, 
having failed to fertilize it properly, and the land 
yielded smaller crops. Roads had not been built except 
in a few sections and no canals of any length had been 




HENRY A. WISE 



220 SCHOOL HISTORY OF I'lBGIMA 

constructed. The Northern states had become wealthy 
because their people had started factories, and Virgin- 
ians, having very few factories, had to pay high prices 
to their Northern neighbors for the goods they used. 
Virginia, too, as Henry A. Wise then said, had become 
"old, moss-grown and slipshod," and her people were 
too well satisfied with their old way of living. 

McCormick's Invention of the Reaper. — In 1831, the 
son of a Virginia farmer living in Rockbridge County 
made and tried out the first reaper. This young man 
was a blacksmith, Cyrus McCormick by name. He had 
worked for long weary months on his invention, and 
his neighbors were interested. At last the day came 
when he said it was ready to cut wheat. He hitched 
four horses to it, and drove it with a great clatter into 
a near-by wheat field. Dogs barked, horses shied, small 
boys yelled, and the old farmers looked contemptuously 
at a machine that would "cut without hands." It cut 
the grain, nevertheless, but because the farmer's field 
in which it was at work had been left so rocky and rough, 
it did not cut very smoothly. So the owner of the field 
made McCormick stop "rattling the heads off" his wheat, 
and one of the farm hands standing by called out, "It's 
a humbug!" Another farmer yelled, "Give me the old 
cradle yet, boys!" and the whole crowd gathered around 
and made fun of it. But there was one man, William 
Taylor, who knew that young Cyrus had something that 
was worth trying, and he told him to turn into his 
wheat field. Cyrus did so, and cut six acres in half a 
day — the first wheat that was ever cut by machinery 
in America. 

McCormick Leaves Virginia.^The farmers were slow 
to see any good in the reaper, and would not buy 
McCormick's machines, although for fourteen years he 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 221 

lived among them and worked to improve his inven- 
tion. In 1845 he went west. There, where the people 
raised so much wheat on the prairies that they could 
not cut it with the old sickles and cradles and wanted 
the newest and best machinery, he was welcomed. 
After ten years, Cyrus McCormick, born and raised on 
a little old farm in what was then called "the back- 
woods" of Virginia, was known all over the United 
States and had made more than a million dollars out 
of his reapers. • 

Edmund Ruffin and Better Farming.— In 1843, Ed- 
mund Ruffin formed the first state farmers' organiza- 
tion, under the name of the "Virginia State Agricul- 
tural Society," for the purpose of getting the farmers 
and planters to use less wasteful farming methods. 
Ruffin was the first great scientific farmer in Virginia. 
After going to William and Mary College, he took up 
farming and the study of chemistry and its relation 
to soils, beginning this work about 1814 when he was 
only twenty years old. At that time the soil in the 
eastern Virginia counties was becoming worn out because 
the planters had kept on raising tobacco on the same 
land year after year without using any fertilizers or 
other means to put back into the soil what had been 
taken out of it in the crops. Ruffin made a number of 
experiments with marl (clay and limestone found in 
large quantities in Virginia) and found that by mix- 
ing it with the soil the yield would be greatly increased. 
Farmers now use lime in the same way and for the 
.same purpose. 

He wrote a book entitled "Arator, " telling of his suc- 
cessful experiments, and giving advice to farmers on how 
to improve their land. Later he wrote a large number 
of magazine articles and pamphlets on better farming, 



222 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

aud for ten years was editor of the Farmers' Register, 
all agricultural paper. In 1854 he was made state 
agricultural commissioner. His great work resulted in 
more careful farming and greater crops and in the im- 
provement of the land in the eastern and central parts 
of the state. 

The Second Change, 1830-1860.— Just as there had 
been a change backward from 1790 to about 1830 in the 
wealth and prosperity of the Virginia people, there was 
a change forward from about 1830 until the time of the 
Civil War. 

Tn these last thirty years, Virginia had gained nearly 
■400,000 in population, chiefly in the western counties. 
In the middle and western counties the farms were 
much smaller than the eastern plantations, and they 
were more carefully cultivated. The farms and the 
property of farmers doubled in thirty years, and two 
or three times as much was raised on the farms. 

Virginians also started many factories. Instead of 
selling uncured tobacco to foreign countries, the Vir- 
ginia tobacco was cured and shipped in manufactured 
form. Richmond became famous for its fine flour mills, 
and Lynchburg was the largest tobacco manufacturing 
town. Roads had been built all over the state, and 
railroads were beginning to be Avidely used. A fine 
canal had been dug from Richmond along the James 
River beyond Lynchburg as far as Buchanan. The Vir- 
ginia people had "waked up," had become energetic 
and industrious, were fast building new towns and 
were growing prosperous. It was a very different Vir- 
ginia in 1860 from what it had been in 1830. 

QUESTIONS. 

1. What is meant by "industrial changes"? What kind of 
change was there in Virginia between 1790 and 1830? 

2. What were some of the causes of discouragement during 
this period? What did Henry A. Wise say of Virginia and 
Virginians? 



SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 223 



3. Tell about McCormick's invention of the reaper. Where 
and when? 

4. What caused McCormick to leave Virginia? Where did he 
go? 

5. Who was Edmund Euffin? What experiment and discovery 
did he make? 

6. What kind of change took place in Virginia between 1830 
and 1860? 



INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. 

The New Transportation Routes.— From 1784 to 1860 
one of the most important things the people of Virginia 
did was to build roads and bridges, deepen rivers and 
dig canals, and construct railroads. These were called 
"internal improvements," and they were made for the 
purpose of connecting the towns and country sections 
with several main lines of transportation, so that pro- 
duets could be brought into and out of all parts of the 
state. While many of these improvements were made 
to connect the towns on the rivers and in the central 
and western portions of the state with one another, the 
largest improvements were made with the idea of con- 
necting the internal part of Virginia with the sea coast 
and of making a transportation route through the state 
which could be used by the people in the states west of 
Virginia as a means of carrying on trade with Norfolk 
and Alexandria near the sea coast. 

Number and Cost of Improvements. — In all, 122 
turnpikes, nine plank roads, many bridges, twelve canals 
and twenty railroads were made. About $70,000,000 
was spent on these improvements, $60,000,000 of which 
was for canals and railroads. Over one-half of the 
amount was furnished by the state government from 
money paid in by the people in Taxes and from money 



224 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

borrowed in Virginia, in the North and in England. 
The state government owed about $30,000,000 to its 
bond-holders in I860.* 

As the internal improvements were of so great im- 
portance and interest to the people of Virginia during 
the period between the Revolutionary and the Civil 
Wars, we will study their story in more detail. 

RIVER IMPROVEMENTS. 

Washington's Suggestion. — This idea of internal 
improvements was not a new one. George Washington, 
as we have already seen, when he was yet a young sur- 
veyor, had "blazed" a trail from the Potomac River to 
the Monongahela River, which was afterwards the road 
over which Braddock and his British soldiers marched to 
defeat, and was among the first to suggest internal im- 
provements. In 1784 the General Assembly chartered 
(gave its consent to) a stock company to deepen the 
James River from Richmond west as far as Botetourt 
County. This company was called the James River 
Company, and the state government bought 300 shares 
of its stock in order to get it started.! By 1816 the 
whole course had been improved, and soon large num- 
bers of batteaux began to be seen on the river. 

Batteaux on the James River. — These batteaux were 
flat boats, forty or fifty feet long, two feet deep, and 

*By the beginning of the Civil War the Virginia government had 
spent approximately the following sums for internal improvements of 
various kinds: 

For turnpikes $ 5,100,000 

For plank roads 410,000 

For bridges 138,000 

For canals and other waterways 10,279,000 

For railroads 20,170,000 

tOf this the Assembly gave 100 shares to Washington as a way of 
thanking him for his great services in the Revolutionary War, but he 
would not take it for himself. He gave it to Liberty Hall Academy in 
Rockbridge County, which changed its name to the Washington Academy 
and afterwards became the Washington and Lee University. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 225 

from four to five feet wide. Three slaves managed each 
one, a slave on each side to "pole," and one at the rear 
end to steer. They took a week to go from Lynchburg 
to Richmond and ten days to return, carrying tobacco, 
wheat, corn, potatoes, hides, and other farm and forest 
products down the river, and bringing back salt, coffee, 
sugar, molasses and whiskey. In 1829 there were about 
500 of them, and they carried every year from Lynch- 
burg from 15,000 to 18,000 hogsheads of tobacco and 
from 25,000 to 30,000 barrels of flour. The negro slaves 
had a gay time running the batteaux. They would sing 
and shout as they poled, and at night would tie up at 
the bank and make merry over their cornbread and 
bacon and with their banjos. 

New Plans for Navigating the James River. — But 
these batteaux could not carry passengers, nor was the 
river improvement what the people needed. Whenever 
a hard rain would come, the high water would wash 
sand and stones into the places which had been cleaned 
out, so that the bed of the river had to be worked over 
again and again. Very soon, then, several plans to remedy 
this were suggested. The one which was finally agreed 
upon was: (1) to dig a canal along the river bank where 
the current was swift, and to make dams across the 
river to get deeper water in the other parts of the river 
as far as Covington ; (2^ to make a road from Covington 
to the Great Falls of the Kanawha River; and (3) to 
deepen the Kanawha River to the Ohio. In this way 
it was thought a route could be made from the Chesa- 
peake Bay to the Mississippi River over which the trade 
of the west would be carried. 

A disagreement arose, however, as to how this was to 
be accomplished. For ten years almost nothing was 
done, and the river began to get choked up with sand, 
rocks and logs. 



226 



SCHOOL HISTOET OF VIRGINIA 



The James River and Kanawha Company.— In 1824, 
Claudius Crozet, a Frenchman, who had been a soldier 
under Napoleon and who was a skilled and distinguished 




BOAT AND LOCK, JAMES RIVER AND 
KANAWHA CANAL* 

engineer, was appointed Chief Engineer of the state. 
In 1826 and ]828 he made survevs of the elames River 



*Upper picture: Packet boat on James River and Kanawha Canal. 
In the distance is one of the covered wooden bridges, such as were built 
in ante-bellum daj'S. 

Lower picture: A lock on the -Tames River and Kanawha Canal as 
it looked when in use. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF riBGIMA 227 

and urged that, instead of a canal, the river ought to be 
made navigable by locks and dams. In 1830 he recom- 
mended that, instead of trying to open up the James 
River beyond Lynchburg to the west, a railroad ought 
to be built. But Joseph C. Cabell, who was a leader of 
those in favor of improving the river, opposed Crozet's 
ideas and insisted on the canal plan. Cabell had more 
influence with the General Assembly and his plan was 
adopted. A new company, the pJames River and Kana- 
wha Company, was chartered in 1832 to make a water 
route all the w^ay to the Ohio. This was to be done by 
digging a canal and building dams along the river from 
Richmond to Covington, by a canal from Covington to 
the Great Falls of the Kanawha River and by deepening 
the Kanawha River from the Great Falls to where the 
Kanawha flowed into the Ohio. 

The Building of the Canal. — It was found impossible 
to get the people of the state to buy shares of stock in 
the new^ company, partly because many believed that 
Crozet's idea of a railroad was better than the canal 
plan. The x^eople of Lynchburg refused to buy stock, 
because they wanted a railroad. Then Chief Justice 
John Marshall, Cabell, and others persuaded the Gen- 
eral Assembly and the people of Richmond to buy 
enough stock to start building the canal, and Avork was 
begun in 1836. It was never finished any farther than 
Buchanan, although a branch canal to Lexington was 
dug. 

Packet Boats.— After the canal was dug, packet boats 
were used instead of batteaux. The "packets" were 
pulled by horses which were driven along the bank on 
the ''tow paths." Some of the packets w^ere very well 
fitted up, having places for passengers to sleep and eat. 
In the stern of the boat would be the captain's room or 



228 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



"cabin." Then in front of that would be the kitchen; 
then the bar where the men passengers could get their 
liquors; then the dining room; and in the "bow," or 
front end, would be a long room called the saloon. The 
saloon was somewhat like the inside of a modern pull- 
man car, the passengers sitting in it during the day 
and sleeping in berths let down at night. The boats 
went as fast as six to ten miles an hour, but even that 




THE "MARSHALL," PACKET BOAT FORMERLY USED ON JAMES 
RIVER AND KANAWHA CANAL* 

made a trip from Lexington or Lynchburg to Richmond 
thirty-six hours long, and the passengers would have a 
gay time together to while away the tedious hours. Other 
packets carried no passengers, but were for freight. 

The company never did make any profits, and by 1860 
it owed so much to the state that it could not build the 
canal any farther. Just at this time a company of 

*Thp ruins of the "Marshall," packPt boat iis^d on the James River 
and Kanawha Canal. Th'> body of 0"n<ral "Stonewall" Jackson was 
conveyed on the "Marshall" to Lexington in 1863. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 229 

French engineers offered to complete it and to run a 
line of steamers from France to Norfolk, so that the 
produce of the western states could be carried straight 
through Virginia to foreign countries. Thus the thing 
for which the people had hoped for seventy years, was 
about to be done; but the war came, and the plan fell 
through. 

Other Waterway Improvements. — Besides the im- 
provement of the James River, companies were char- 
tered before 1830 to make navigable the Upper Appo- 
mattox, Lower Appomattox, Potomac, Roanoke, and Rap- 
pahannock rivers and to dig the Dismal Swamp Canal. 
After 1830 the improvement of the Guyandotte, Tug 
Fork of the Big Sandy, and the Coal rivers, all of which 
are tributaries of the Kanawha, and the Rivanna, Willis, 
and the North rivers, which are tributaries of the James, 
wpre undertaken by various companies in the hope that 
some day the James River and Kanawha water route 
might be completed. 

In addition to these, the state government helped to 
open up the Roanoke River and some of its tributaries, 
to dig the Albemarle and Chesapeake and the Kemp- 
ville canals, to dig the Alexandria and the Chesapeake 
and Ohio canals, and to further improve the Rappa- 
hannock River. The State of Maryland and the United 
States government gave money to the Chesapeake 
and Ohio Canal, Virginia giving over a million dollars. 
The United States government also helped Virginia to 
dig the Alexandria Canal. The old Potomac Company 
became part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Com- 
pany. The State of Virginia authorized the spending 
of njearly $10,000,000 on waterways after 1830. 



230 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

HIGHWAYS AND RAILROADS. 

Highways and Bridges. — Several hundred miles of 
turnpikes and plank roads, with numerous bridges, were 
constructed betw^een 1802 and 1860 by the state. Two- 
thirds of them were built between 1845 and 1860 after 
the people in the central and western parts of the state 
secured control of the General Assembly, and most of 
them were built in the western section of the state. 
The Assembly appropriated $3,500,000, about half of 
the total amount of the money needed, besides building 
"state roads" at a cost of $1,500,000.* 

There were 112 turnpike roads before the Civil War, 
but the companies never made much money out of 
these roads. The reasons why they never paid well were : 

(1) the turnpikes were often made in mountainous sec- 
tions, where few people passed and paid tolls, and 
w^here it was very expensive to grade them properly ; 

(2) turnpikes, bridges, and plank roads were often 
made for the good of a very few persons in a com- 
munity, who wanted the state to help pay for roads 
that they should have made themselves, jiiid who charg- 
ed very little toll, as they Were the onl\ ones who used 
them. 

There were several long Hud well-made roads, however, 
over which a great many people passed and carried their 
farm products to the towns where the canal or the rail- 
road would take it to other larger cities. 

Railroads. — As soon as people knew that railroads 
could actually be used, that means of transportation was 
the one in which they took the most interest, because 
passengers and goods could be carried a great deal faster 
and cheaper than by stage coaches, wagons and packet 



* "State roads" were built and managed by the state alone and not by 
stock companies as were turnpikes and bridges. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VlROmiA 



231 



boats. In 1829 the first locomotive was brought from 
England, but in 1830 Peter Cooper built in this country 
one for the Baltimore and Ohio. The next year several 
trips were made by a steam locomotive on a railroad 
from Charleston to Hamburg in South Carolina. 




OLD LOCOMOTIVE, USED ON C. & O. RAILROAD 

The first railroads that were built had stone instead 
of wooden ties. The rails were of wood covered by thin 
strips of iron, which often curled up and caused acci- 
dents. The cars at first were like the old fashioned 
stage coaches, with grooved wheels, but very soon larger 



232 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

cars, with a platform on each end and an aisle through 
the middle, were used. The first trains went about fif- 
teen miles an hour, and charged three and four cents a 
mile for tickets. 

Virginia was not behind other states in railroad build- 
ing. In 1830 the Assembly chartered the first company 
to build a railroad from Petersburg to Weldon, N. C. 
Between 1880 and the beginning of the Civil War, in 
1861, about 1,970 miles of railroads were built or were 
under construction.* 

How the Money Was Gotten. — Of course the people 
did not pay enough taxes to the state to furnish all of 
the money that was spent on internal improvements in 
the years from 1784 to 1860. The state government ob- 
tained most of it from people in Virginia and some 
from people outside of the state and from England by 
selling their printed promises to pay, which are called 
"bonds," and paying interest on all they borrowed in 
this way. By 1861 over $31,000,000 had been borrowed 
in this way for building canals, highways, bridges, and 
railroads, and every year the state had to pay over 
$1,500,000 as interest, besides saving a little each year 
to pay off these bonds at the time it promised to do so. 
What became of this debt during the Civil War and 
after, is another part of our story, and will be told 
later on. 



QUESTIONS. 

I. What is meant by "internal improvements"? For what 
purpose were such improvements made in Virginia? 

J. Tell about the number, kind and cost of these improve- 
ments. 

}. What charter was granted by the Assembly in 1784? 

i. Describe the batteaux used on the James River. 

*See Appendix F. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 233 



5. Why was this means of transportation not satisfactory? 
What new plan was suggested? 

6. Who was Claudius Crozet? Who favored improving the 
James River? What company was chartered in 1832? 
What did this company plan to do? 

7. What prevented the completion of the canal? How far 
was it actually built? 

8. Describe the packet boats used on the canal. 

9. What other waterway improvements were made in Vir- 
ginia between 1830 and 1860? 

10. Tell about the building of highways and bridges. 

11. Tell about railroad building in Virginia before the Civil 
War. 

12. How was the money obtained for these improvements? 

13. Which of the old railroads went through your county or 
citv?* 



SLAVERY IN VIRGINIA. 

The Feeling Against Slavery. — Although the belief 
that slavery was wrong became stronger and stronger 
in Virginia from 1790 to 1860, no way to free the slaves 
without doing harm to them and injustice to the owners 
could be found. In 1788 the Virginia legislature passed 
a law forbidding the bringing in of any new slaves, 
and protests against slavery were made before that time, 
as we have already seen. The people west of the Blue 
Ridge were strongly opposed to slavery, as were many 
in the section between Richmond and the Blue Ridge. 
Even in eastern Virginia were to be found a great 
many slave-owners who earnestly wished that there could 
be found some way to put an end to it. 

There were two difficulties in tlie Avay: one was that 
the negro slaves were not able to take care of them- 
selves should they be set free suddenly, and the other 
was that their owners had spent a great deal of their 
money for slaves in order to operate their plantations, 
and they could not afford to set free the slaves unless 
they could get back what had been spent in buying 

*See Appendix F. 



2H4 



SCHOOL mSTOEY OF VIRGINIA 



them. Later on there was a third difficulty from an- 
other direction. In the North people opposed to slavery 
became so fanatical and so bitter that they angered the 
Southern people by what they said, and made it all the 
harder for Southern people to find some fair and right 
way of freeing the slaves. These Northern fanatics were 




SLAVE QUARTERS NEAR TUCKAHOE MANSION 



called Abolitionists because they wanted to abolish 
slavery w^ithout any thought of the conseipiences to the 
slaves or to the slave owners. 

Three Ways of Settling the Question. — Many sugges- 
tions were made as to the best way of getting rid of 
slavery, but three ways were actually used. One was 
for the owners gradually to set free their slaves. From 
1800 to I860 not fewer than 100,000 slaves were thus set 
free. A second way was to pay wages to the slaves and 



SCHOOL EISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 235 

allow them to buy their own freedom from their masters, 
and a large number were thus freed. A third way was 
to allow free slaves to go to Africa. A tract of land was 
secured in Africa and was called Liberia, and many 
former slaves went back to the land of their ancestors. 
James Monroe was a great believer in this plan, and the 
capital of Liberia, Monrovia, was named in his honor. 
The ''African Colonization Society" was formed in Vir- 
ginia to encourage negroes to go to the African Colony, 
and the Virginia government for many years appropri- 
ated money to help this movement. 

Slave Insurrections. — Two insurrections by slaves took 
place, one in 1800 and another in 1831. Besides these, 
a number of others were threatened. They were caused 
partly by fanatical and superstitious negroes and partly 
by the rash utterances of the more fanatical Abolitionists. 
The first insurrection was known as "Gabriel's In- 
surrection." A half crazy negro named Gabriel went 
among the slaves living in the territory around Rich- 
mond and incited them by his superstitious speeches to 
join in a plan first to murder their masters and their 
masters' families and then to march to Richmond, seize 
the public arms and ammunition, kill the white people 
and take possession of the city. Governor James Mon- 
roe heard of the plot, and warning was given. On the 
night when Gabriel and his followers had planned to 
carry out their murderous plan, there was a terrific 
storm. The scheme failed because of the warnings and 
the storm, and Gabriel and the other ring leaders were 
caught and executed. 

No more trouble of this nature occurred until 1829. 
In July a number of insurrections were reported to have 
been planned in Gloucester, Hanover, Mathews, and 
Isle of Wight counties. The militia was called out 
several times and many negroes were arrested. 



236 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

The Southampton Insurrection, 1831. — By far the 

worst trouble from superstitious negroes occurred in 
1831 in Southampton County. Nat Turner, a negro 
who was a fanatic on the subject of religion, was looked 
upon by the other negroes of the vicinity as a prophet. He 
had gained a great influence over many of them by ap- 
pealing to their superstitions, and he now urged them 
to join with him in an uprising. There was an eclipse 
of the sun at about that time, and he told them that it 
was a sign in their favor. On the night of August 21, 
1881, Turner and a band of other negroes started their 
fearful raid. First they murdered Turner's master and 
his whole family and then they went from plantation 
to plantation, getting many of the slaves to join them, 
killing the unsuspecting white people and taking all 
the arms and ammunition they could find. Sixty-one 
people, many of them women and children, were mur- 
dered in this way. 

By this time Governor Floyd had received news of 
the insurrection, and militia and soldiers from the 
United States cruiser Natchez, which happened to be in 
Hampton Roads, were sent to stop the rebellion. The 
negroes fled in all directions. Turner and forty others 
were caught, and after a trial he and thirteen others 
were executed. 

The Slavery Question Again Discussed. — In the con- 
vention which met to revise the state contitution in 1829 
and 1830, slavery was one of the most important ques- 
tions. Many of the western Virginians wanted to abolish 
it, but no agreement was reached. After the Southamp- 
ton Insurrect'on, it was again discussed and was the 
topic most debated when the legislature met in the fall 
of 1831. Nat Turner's outrages, and rumors that other 
insurrections were being planned, caused much excite- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 237 

ment. The feeling was very evenly divided on the ques- 
tion of freeing the slaves, the west being for it and the 
east against it. When the vote on it was taken, eman- 
cipation was lost by only one vote. 

Had not the Abolitionists angered many of the slave 
owners by their false accusations and their interference 
and aided in stirring the slaves to violence, and had not 
the Civil War put an end to their plans, Virginians 
would have gradually set free all of the slaves and put 
an end to slavery without so great harm to both the 
negroes and their white masters. For very few Vir- 
ginians believed that slavery was right, and the history 
of the times before the Civil War shows that they were 
anxious to discover some fair method of getting rid 
of it. 

How Slaves Were Treated. — While nearly everybody 
now believes that it is wrong to consider any people as 
property in the same sense that cows, horses, or build- 
ings are property, yet it must be remembered that the 
owning of the ignorant and helpless negroes by kind 
white masters was probably the best thmg for the negroes 
themselves at that time. Nearly all of them were well 
cared for, housed and fed and treated with kindness and 
consideration. Only a few of them were capable of 
taking care of themselves. Coming from Africa they 
were civilised more quickly by being in and around the 
homes of cultivated people than could have been done 
in any other way in those days. 

There were some cruel and careless masters, of 
course ; but they were exceptions. The worst feature of 
slavery was the buying and selling of slaves at auction, 
when negro families would frequently be separated and 
the slaves would have to serve new masters whom they 
did not know. But as a general rule the slaves were 



238 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

happy and contented and were faithful to their owners. 
Even after they were set free by the Emancipation 
Proclamation of President Lincoln during the Civil War, 
many of them refused to leave their masters and con- 
tinued to serve them without wages. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. In what ways was the feeling against slavery shown in Vir- 
ginia? 

2. Wliat three ways of getting rid of slavery were used in 
Virginia? 

3. What effect did the Abolitionists have on the slavery question? 

4. Tell of Gabriel's Insurrection. 

5. Tell of the Southampton Insurrection. 

6. How did the western Virginians feel about slavery. 

7. How were slaves treg,ted m Virginia? In what way were the 
negroes benefited by having white masters? What was wrong 
in slavery? 



EDUCATION, 1789-1861. 

There were no public schools in Virginia, such as we 
have now, until after the Civil War. The white children 
from 1789 until 1860 were educated in private schools 
in town, and in "old field" schools in the country, in 
academies, and at their homes by family tutors. For 
the children of white people unable to pay tuition in any 
of these schools, there were charity or ' ' public ' ' schools 
established and supported by the state government. The 
children of negro slaves had no means of education 
except what they were taught by their masters and 
mistresses. 

For the higher education of young men there were the 
University of Virginia, William and Mary College, Wash- 
ington College, Randolph-Macon College, Emory and 
Henry College, and Bethany College (in that part of 
the state now West Virginia). Young women in those 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 239 

days were not sent to college as they are now, but after 
they finished the private and "old field" schools and 
academies, or after they had been taught at home by 
governesses or tutors, sometimes they were sent to girls' 
seminaries in the larger towns in Virginia and in Balti- 
more and Philadelphia. 

Jefferson's Plan — Thomas Jefferson believed that all 
white children should be given the chance to be edu- 
cated. As early as 1779 he proposed a state system of 
schools, to consist of common schools, academies, and a 
central college. His plan then w^as to have (1) Com- 
mon Elementary Schools, that is, schools common to all, 
in every county for the free training of all children of 
white parents in reading, w^riting, and arithmetic; (2) 
Latin Grammar Schools or classical schools, one for 
every three, four or five counties, where Latin, Greek, 
English, geography, and higher arithmetic should be 
taught; (3) William and Mary College as the Central 
State College to which all boys completing the -work in 
the classical schools could go. 

This proposal failed to be adopted by the General 
Assembly, because William and Mary being under Epis- 
copalian influence at that time, the dissenters opposed 
making it the central college or university. But Jeffer- 
son persisted in urging public education, and in 1796 
the General Assembly did pass a bill establishing pri- 
mary schools. No schools were started, however, because 
the plan did not provide for any money from the state ; 
the money for the schools was to be raised by any county 
which desired to have schools of this sort. As all of the 
people who could afford to pay tuition were already 
sending their children to private schools of one kind or 
another, they did not favor taxing themselves to pay 
the cost of educating other people's children. 



240 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Jefferson's Ideas About Education. — Jefferson did 
not abandon his ideas because of these failures. In 
spite of his interest in other state and national affairs, 
he continued to think about and plan and work for 
public education. "A system of general instruction," 
he once said, "which shall reach every description of 
our citizens, from the richest to the poorest, as it was 
the earliest, so wiU it be the latest, of all public con- 
cerns in ■which I shall permit myself to take an inter- 
est." Although in his old age he succeeded in found- 
ing the University of Virginia as the last great thing he 
accomplished, he always regarded of more importance 
the education of all the people rather than that of the 
few. And while he never lived to see a system of pub- 
lic education in his state, he hoped and expected that 
the University of Virginia should be the capstone of 
such a system and that its establishment would help 
in establishing the lower schools. 

Charity or "Public" Schools. — After Jefferson's 
plans of 1779 and 1796 had failed to establish a public 
school system, he had a new ally. This was Joseph 
Carrington Cabell,* who became a member of the House 
of Delegates in 1809, and from 1811 to 1829 was a mem- 
ber of the state Senate. Cabell carried out many of 
Jefferson's ideas about education and government while 
Jefferson himself was Ambassador and President and 
later when Jefferson had retired from public office. In 
1810, aided by Jefferson's influence, Cabell had a law 
passed which provided for at least some money for pub- 
lic education.! This money was called the "Literary 
Fund." 

*Sep Appendix A. 

tThe law itself was written by -Tames Barbour, then a merabrr of the 
House of Dplesrates and afterwards Kovernoi. but it was passed by the 
Assembly throuffh the influence of Cabell and .Jefferson. The Literary Fund 
still exists and furnishes part of the money for the public schools in 
Virginia today. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 241 

Only the children of poor white people could get the 
benefit of this fund. In 1825, for instance, 10,226 
children went to these schools ; and in 1859, 54,232 
were sent, the money coming annually from the fund 
for the schools being then about $160,000. 

"Public" Schools Looked Down Upon. — The schools 
were charity schools and wrongly called "public" 
schools. They were open only about three months in 
the year, and nothing but reading, writing, and arith- 
metic were taught. Especially in the eastern section 
of Virginia, it was considered a disgrace to be so poor 
as to have to go to the "public" schools. Long after 
they had ceased to be charity schools and had become 
schools for all classes, rich and poor alike, and good 
enough for the richest as well as the poorest boy and 
girl, the "public" schools were looked down upon in 
some parts of Virginia because the old idea of charity 
school remained. The people of Virginia have learned 
better now and have come to believe in Jefferson's ideas 
about public education. There is no disgrace in going to 
public schools, except when the people themselves do not 
favor giving enough money to have good schools, con- 
venient and comfortable buildings and pretty grounds 
such as their children ought to have. 

Western Virginians Demand Schools. — The people 
in the western part of the state did not look upon the 
"public" schools in the same way as did the people in 
the eastern section, partly because there were so few 
private schools, and partly because the people were more 
democratic. Many of their children went to the charity 
schools along ^vith the children of the poorest parents. 
The western Virginians often urged that more money 
should be appropriated by the state for the public schools, 
and the ((iiPstioTi of education ber-ame moro a7id morp His- 
cussed. 



242 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

In 1838 Governor Campl)ell, who was himself a resi- 
dent of southwest Virginia, aroused more interest than 
ever before in the school question by pointing out in a 
message to the General Assembly that, in spite of pri- 
vate and charity schools, a larger number of people in 
Virginia than ever before could not read or write. Sev- 
erar conventions on public education followed. 

The result of this movement w^as the passing of a law 
by the General Assembly allowing any county to have 
public schools for all of its children, provided that the 
additional money required should be raised by the peo- 
ple of the county themselves. This law was like the 
one of 1796, and, except in the western counties, very 
few public schools were started. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. What kinds of schools existed in Virginia before the Civil 
War? 

2. What was Jefferson's plan for a system of schools? What 
bill did he get the Assembly to pass in 1796? Why were 
the schools not started? 

3. What were his ideas about education? 

4. Who aided Jefferson in his efforts to have schools estab- 
lished? What children were expected to attend the charity 
schools? 

5. Why were the charity schools looked down upon? 

6. How did the western Virginians feel about schools and 
education? What law was passed during Governor Camp- 
bell's administration? 



The Founding of the University of Virginia.— We 

have seen that Thomas Jefferson's plan for educating 
all of the white children of Virginia was to provide 
three kinds of schools : common elementary schools, 
Latin grami)iar schools, and a central college. The 
eastern Virginians, we have also seen, opposed the com- 
mon elementary and Latin Grammar schools, and Jef- 
ferson Avas never able to get anything more established 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIFGINIA 243 

than the charity schools and the county school systems. 
He was more fortunate in establishing a central college 
or state university, because the eastern Virginians, who 
had more delegates and senators in the Assembly than 
the western section, favored a central college. 

After his plan to make William and Mary College the 
central college failed because of the dissenters, he 
began to devise another plan. Finally he proposed that 
the state should establish a new "Central College" in 
Albemarle County. Joseph C. Cabell, then state senator, 
was his greatest ally in this work, and gradually many 
prominent men favored the plan. Before Central Col- 
lege was established, however, the name was changed 
to the "University of Virginia" and in 1818 the Gen- 
eral Assembly appropriated the sum of $15,000 annu- 
ally from the Literary Fund for the new institution. 

Buildings and Management. — Buildings were begun, 
nearly all of them being designed by Jefferson himself, 
and extra appropriations b}^ the Assembly were made. 
The control of the University was put into the hands 
of a " board of visitors ' ' composed of nine men appoint- 
ed by the governor, one of whom was the rector oi- 
president of the board. The University had no presi- 
dent, but its faculty elected a chairman every year.* 
Jefferson himself was named the first rector of the Uni- 
versity, and he was so interested in it that he devoted 
all of the energies of his old age toward its upbuilding. 

Opposition to the University. — The University was 
popular among the eastern Virginians because it afford- 
ed their sons higher education after finishing the private 
academies, but it was very unpopular among western 



*This plan was not changed until 1904, when the University had its 
first president, Edwin A. Alderman. 



244 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Virginians. This was because the western Virginians 
wanted free schools first and did not think that so much 
money ought to be spent on a university attended by 
the sons of wealthier people, as long as their own children 
had no better schools than the charity schools. They 
refused to send their sons to the University and would 
not vote for iiionev for it. 




ROTUNDA, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA 

The University Grows. — After 1845, unlil ilie Civil 
War, there was n imieh hirger attendance upon the Uni- 
versity, although tli(^ western Virginians continued to 
stay away. This gi-owth was due chiefly to the inde- 
pendence the pcoph' of the Southern states began to 
fee] at that time. 

The leading men of the South began to urge that the 
Southern people should not be dependent upon the 
North for their higlier education, their books and their 



SCHOOL HISTOKY OF I IHGINIA 245 

teachers, and their commerce. It was pointed out in the 
newspapers and in meetings in the Southern states that 
Southern young men had gone to Northern colleges, that 
the books used in the Southern schools were written by 
Northern people, and that the Southern schools were 
taught by "Yankee" teachers. Young men were urged 
to attend the University of Virginia, and schools and 
academies were urged to get Southern teachers. 

The result was that the University of Virginia rapidly 
became the most important college in the South, if not in 
the entire country. Its attendance increased from less 
than 200 students in 1845 to nearly 700 in 1858, half 
of whom were from central and eastern Virginia and 
the rest from other Southern states. Its professors 
were able men, many of them being well-known men 
of the time, and it was looked upon as the center of edu- 
cation in the entire South. Its graduates were secured to 
teach in the academies and other colleges, and, except 
in the western counties, the "Yankee" teachers began 
to disappear. 

Other Schools. — Besides the charity or "public" 
schools for the children of poor parents and the Uni- 
versity of Virginia and other colleges for young men, 
there was a large number of private schools and acade- 
mies in the toAvns, and "old field" schools in the coun- 
try. Some of the larger academies were partly supported 
by the state government in spite of the protests of the 
western Virginians, but otherwise the private schools 
were maintained hy tuition fees paid by the childrens' 
parents. 

In the town private schools, and in the country "old 
field" schools, reading, writing, arithmetic and some- 
times geography, English, Latin and algebra were taught; 
The teachers were nearly always men, and the major- 



246 SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIEGINlA 

ity were Northeru inei^. .,Xlit! b\iildii,igs _>vere poorly 
lighted and had rough furniture and very few black- 
boards, and the school children did not have the. con- 
veniences and comforts they have to-day. There were 
no grades ; every pupil had to learn everything in a book 
thoroughly before being allowed to study another book 
or subject. Pupils recited in classes standing in rows, 
and when a word was missed or a mistake made, the boy 
or girl had to go to the foot of the class. Many of the 
teachers were quite free with the switch and the boys got 
whippings instead of demerits. There were no school 
janitors ; the boys split the wood and started the fires and 
the girls swept and dusted the school room. In spite of 
discomforts, however, we are told that the boys and girls 
of the old days managed to have a good time and, while 
they did not have so many interesting subjects to study 
as the boys and girls of to-day, they learned thoroughly 
and well the few subjects they were taught. 

Academies. — When the pupil learned all he could in 
the town school or "old field" school he went to an 
academy if his parents could Mfford to send him. There 
he would have two or even three teachers, and higher 
branches were taught, such as rhetoric, English. Latin, 
sometimes Greek, algebra, geometry, history, and 
science. The academies of those days corresponded to 
our high schools, except that tuition was charged. 
They were usually in the larger towns, and chiefly 
town (children went to them. Both boys and girls at- 
tended, some of the boys each ye\w going off to college 
as soon as they Avere prepared. 

State Institutions. — Besides the University of Vir- 
ginia, tlie state established the Virginia Military Insti- 
tute at Lexington in 1836, and in 18.39 it was opened. 
For a number of vears before, the state had an arsenal 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



247 



at Lexington which had been guarded by paid soldiers, 
and it was proposed that it should be guarded by young 
men studjing military tactics. A class at Washington 
College in Lexington was formed, but soon a separate 
school was provided for, which became the famous ''West 
Point of the South." The "V. M. I.," as it is more 
familiarly known, grew into a strictly scientific military 




VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE, LEXINGTON 



college, which furnished a large number of officers to the 
Confederate armies. Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson 
was a professor there prior to the Civil War. 

Other Colleges. — Several private colleges were started 
between 1789 and 1860. The first of these was Ran- 
dolph-Macon College at Ashland, established by the 
Methodists in 1830. The Methodists also established 
Emory and Henry College at Emory in 1836. Tn 1840 



248 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Alexander Campbell, the founder of the Disciples of 
Christ, started Bethany College in western Virginia, 
which was the first college to be established in Virginia 
west of the Alleghanies. Lynchburg College was started 
a number of years later in Lynchburg, but it ceased to 
exist after the Civil War. Richmond College was 
started in 1832 at Richmond by the Baptists, and Roan- 
oke College in 1853 at Salem by the Lutherans. For 
women, HoUins College was established in 1842 near 
Roanoke, Randolph-Macon Woman 's College in 1893 at 
Lynchburg, and Sweet Briar College near Lynchburg 
in 1905. 

Tn addition to the new colleges that were established, 
there were three other private colleges in existence 
before 1789, as we already know. They were Wash- 
ington College (now Washington and Lee University), 
at Lexington; Hampden-Sidney College, in Prince Ed- 
ward County; and old William and Mary College, at 
Williamsburg. 

Hospitals and Special Schools. — Virginia also estab- 
lished several schools and hospitals and asylums for 
aflflicted persons. The first asylum for insane persons 
in Virginia, and probably in America, had been estab- 
lished at Williamsburg two years before the Revolution- 
ary War began. In 1828 another asylum for insane 
persons was started in Staunton. It was called the 
Western Lunatic Asylum and the asylum at Williams- 
burg then became known as the Eastern Asylum. 

In 1839 the state established at Staunton the Vir- 
ginia School for the Deaf and Blind. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



QUESTIONkS. 

1. What was Jefferson 's idea in establishing the University of 
Virginia? What was his first plan for a central college in 
1779? 

2. Tell of the beginning of the University. 

3. Why did the western Virginians oppose the University? 

4. Why did the University become so important a center of edu- 
cation from 1845 to 18601 

5. Tell about the other schools before the Civil War. 

6. Tell about the founding of the Virginia Military Institute. 

7. What other colleges were started about this time? 

8. What academies and private schools were in your county or city 
before the war ? 



SCHOOL niSTOEY OF VIRGINIA 



VIRGINIA AND THE CIVIL WAR 

1861-1865. 

PRESIDENT OF THE CONFEDER- GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA: 

ATE STATES: John Leteher (1860-1864). 

Jefferson Davis (1861-1865). William Smith (1864-1865).* 

PRESIDENT OP THE UNITED 
STATES : 

Abraham Ijipcoln (1861-1865). 

THE FORMING OF THE CONFEDERACY. 

Causes of the War.— The Civil War did not come 
suddenly. It was caused by a large number of differ- 
ences between the people of the North and of the South, 
and these differences had lasted for many years before 
the war actually began. Of the many causes, we ought to 
remember two as the most important. 

First, there had been a long-standing antipathy be- 
tween Northern and Southern people. The Northern 
people, like the people of western Virginia, who were so 
different from the people of eastern Virginia, lived on 
small farms and had public schools. There were a great 
many more and larger towns and cities in the North 
than in the South. In these towns were factories and 
business estalilishments, while in the South there were 
very few factories, and farming, chiefly on large planta- 
tions, was the. main industry. The tariff laws passed by 
Congress greatly aided Northern factories, and did not 
aid the farmers and planters of the South. One-third 
of the people in the Northern states were foreigners, 
chiefly Germans, Swedes, and Irish, who believed in the 
nation rather than in the states. In the South the peo- 
ple were patriotic for their native state rather than for 

*The state government of Virginia under the Confederacy came to an 
end in 1865. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 251 

the nation, and believed tliat the Federal- government 
was not stronger than the states which had formed it. 

Second, the slavery question. The people of the 
South had been exasperated by the falsehoods told about 
them by the Northern Abolitionists. They had been 
accused of being cruel to their negro slaves, whereas the 
truth was that very few cases of cruelty ever existed. 
Probably most of the Southerners wanted to see slavery 
abolished, and many Southern slave owners had freed 
their slaves . of their own- accord. They had studied 
various plans to abolish sla,yery, and the state govern- 
ment of Virginia for several years spent large sums of 
money to send freed slaves back to Africa. The South- 
ern people did not think that it was fair to the slave 
owners to take their slaves away, because slaves repre- 
sented money, nor did they believe that sudden free- 
dom would be beneficial to the slaves themselves, who 
were too ignorant and helpless to take care of themselves. 
As the slavery ([uestion was discussed year after year, 
nnsundei-standijigs and hate crept in and made it im- 
possible for the two sides to agree on any plan. The 
Northern people wanted to make the Federal govern- 
ment forbid slavery in new states, while the Southern 
people took the ground that each state should decide 
the slavery (piestion for itself. 

Events that Brought on the War. — With these differ- 
ences and this antipathy between the North and the 
South, several things happened to bring on a crisis. 

The first was the Dred Scott Case. In 1857 the 
Supreme Court of the United States decided that Dred 
Scott, a negro slave, did not become free by simply 
going into a state or territory where slavery was for- 
bidden. This decision meant that every slave owner 



252 SCHOOL HISTOBT OF VIRGINIA 

could take his slaves into any state or territory, because 
Congress had no right to say where slaves could or could 
not be owned. This decision caused a great outcry in 
the North. 

The second was the debates between Stephen A. 
Douglas and Abraham Lincoln in Illinois in 1858. 
Douglas and Lincoln were rival candidates for the Sena- 
torship, and they debated on the Dred Scott decision. 
Lincoln said that Congress did have the right to say 
whether slave owners could take their slaves and live 
where they pleased, that the country had to decide by 
war or otherwise whether slavery should be abolished 
or not. Douglas believed that each state could do as 
it pleased about slavery and he warned Lincoln that 
giving Congress the right would result in war. Douglas 
was elected, but Lincoln, who had been unknown before, 
became the champion of the Northern Republicans. 

These two events excited both the North and the 
South on the slavery question more than ever before. 

John Brown's Raid, 1859. — A fanatical Abolitionist, 
John Brown, who had fled from Kansas to escape be- 
ing punished for murders he had committed, suddenly 
appeared with nineteen followers at Harper's Ferry, 
Virginia, one night in October, 1859. He and his men 
captured the United States arsenal there for the pur- 
pose of getting arms for the slaves, whom he expected to 
set free by exciting them to rebellion. The mayor of 
Harper's Ferry and four citizens were killed by John 
Brown's men, and others were fired upon by the mur- 
derers. Colonel Robert E. Lee and Federal soldiers 
were sent from Washington and captured Brown and 
his men after a fight. Brown and several of his followers 
were tried and found guilty of murder and hanged. 
Some Northern Abolitionists \ield meetings and praised 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF FIBGINJA 253 

Brown as a "martyr." The result was, of course, to 
cause the antipathy to become stronger. 

The Presidential Election of I860.— Following the 
John Brown incident, excitement over the slavery ques- 
tion became very much greater. In 1860 the final event 
came which caused secession to begin. This was the 
election as President of Abraham Lincoln, whose views 
on the right of Congress to force the states to abolish 
slavery were of course noi acceptable to the Southerners. 

The votes of Virginia were cast against Lincoln, but 
they were not cast for the Southern Democratic candi- 
date for President, John C. Breckenridge. On the 
contrary, Virginia did not believe that the Southern 
states ought to secede, and her votes were cast for John 
Bell for President, the candidate of the Constitutional 
Union party. This party believed in upholding "the 
Constitution of the country, the Union of the States, 
and the enforcement of the laws." 

Secession Begins, 1860 and 1861.— On December 20. 
1860, a state convention in South Carolina withdrew its 
ratification of the United States constitution, and thus 
South Carolina was no longer one of the States of the 
Union. Six other states, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama. 
Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas, followed South Caro- 
lina's example in January and February, 1861. 

Two efforts to bring these states back into the Union 
peaceably were made. One w^as a proposal, made by 
Senator John J. Crittenden, of Kentucky, to abolish 
slavery north of a certain line and to allow it south of 
that line, but it was not accepted by the Senate. The 
other was a peace conference held in Washington on 
February 4, 1861, at the invitation of Virginia. Led by 
the Virginia delegates, who were anxious to prevent war. 
the conference made a proposal very much like that of 



254 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIEGINIA 



Crittenden. The Republican members of the United 
States Senate, however, voted it down because it did 
not agree with Lincohi's views. 

The Confederate States of America, 1861. — On the 

same day the Peace 
Conference met in 
"Washington, a con- 
vention composed 
of delegates from 
the seven states 
which had seceded, 
met in Montgom- 
ery, Alabama. This 
convention adopted 
a constitution on 
February 8, 1861, 
and elected Jeffer- 
son Davis* Presi- 
dent of the Con- 
federate States of 
America. Alexan- 
der H. Stephens 
was elected Vice- 
President. On Feb- 
ruary 18, Presi- 
dent Davis was 
inaugurated at 
Montgomery, and 
the seven states on 




rF.FFERSON DAVIS 



the Constitution was ratitied by 
March 11, 1861. 

Commissioners were appointed to make a treaty of 
friendship with the United States, because the Confed- 
eracy was not formed for war but for peace. The South- 



'See Appendix A. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 255 

ern people believed that they had not been treated justly 
under the United States government and that it would 
be better for all if they had their own government. The 
majority of the Southern people did not think that war 
would come, and a great many Northern people were in 
favor at this time of letting the Southern states go with- 
out any trouble. Had it not been for a different view 
held by President Lincoln and other Northern people, 
and for an incident which caused fighting to begin, 
it is possible that there would have been two nations 
without any conflict. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. What were the two most important causes of the Civil 
War? 

2. What two events brought on the war? Who was Stephen 
A. Douglas? Who was Abraham Lincoln? 

.3. Tell about John Brown's raid. What became of Brown? 

4. How did Virginia east her vote in the presidential election 
of 1860? Why? Who were the candidates? 

5. What was the first state to secede? What others soon fol- 
lowed? 

6. When and where was the Confederacy formed? Who was 
chosen President? 

7. For what purpose was the Confederacy formed? What states 
originally belonged? 

8. What was the first Confederate capital? When was President 
Davis inaugurated? 



THE BEGINNING OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

The United States Refuses to Surrender Fort 
Sumter. — Fort Sumter, at Chai'leston, South Carolina, 
had been a United States fort. After the Confederacy 
was formed, it was announced in Washington that Fort 
Sumter would be turned over to South Carolina and 
the United States troops withdrawn. Instead of this. 
hoAvever, the fort was still held bv the Union. 



256 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

When the three Commissioners from the Confederate 
States arrived in Washington to make a treaty of friend- 
ship with the United States and to ask for the surrender 
of Fort Sumter, President Lincoln refused to see them. 
This meant that he would not recognize the Confederate 
States as a nation. On April 12, 1861, the United States 
tleet arrived off Charleston. The coming of the fleet, 
meant war. and because Major Anderson, the com- 





■:l 



ARLINGTON, HOME OF ROBERT E. LEE 

mander had refused to leave, General Beauregard open- 
ed fire ou the fort. The next day it was surrendered. 
Two days later, on April 15, President Lincoln called 
for 70,000 soldiers to invade the seven states of the 
Confederacy and put down "the rebellion." 

Virginia and Other States Secede. — The people of 
Virginia, even those who had been aggrieved by the 
Abolitionists and by the acts of the Republicans, had 
up to this time hoped for peace. They had thought that 
President Lincoln's promises of peace would be carried 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 257 

out. The same feeling existed in Arkansas, North Caro- 
lina and Tennessee, as well as in Maryland, Kentucky 
and Missouri. These states had not seceded because 
it was believed that the Union ought to be preserved. 
But when President Lincoln's call was made for troops 
to invade the South, the Southern people who had been 
against secession became indignant and made up their 
minds to stand by the Confederacy because President 
Lincoln had not kept his promises. The result of this 
indignation was that Virginia, by adopting in a state 
convention the Ordinance of Secession,* seceded on Apr'l 
17, 1861, and during Mav and June Arkansas. NoHh 
Carolina and Tennessee followed her example. All of 
these states .ioined the Confederacy, Virginia becoming 
a Confederate state on Mav 6, 1861. 

Viro-inia Invaded and the War Begfun. — President 
Lincoln at once assumed authority as commander-in- 
chief of the armies and navies of the United States. He 
issued a proclamation blockading all Southern ports and 
made a second call for volunteers, this time for 42.000 
men, in May. He ordered that 18,000 more seamen should 
be added to the navy and 22,000 more men to the regu- 
lar army. By July, 1861, there were 183,588 United 
States soldiers in arms. 

But in addition to preparing for war, President 
Lincoln actually began war by sending 10,000 soldiers 
across the Potomac River into Virginia on May 23. The 
invasion of Virginia of course destroyed all hope of 
peace, and thousands of Virginians as well as other 
Southerners obeyed President Davis' call for volunteers 
to defend their homes and their states and their new 
nation. In the North the majority of people had been in 
favor of letting the Southern states go, but Lincoln 

*See Appendix B. 



258 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIBGINIA 

called on them to "preserve the Union." This appeal 
became more popular than abolition of slavery or Repub- 
lican ideas about government could ever be, and the 
North grew eager to put down what they called "the 
rebellion." In the South, there was no desire for shed- 
ding blood or engaging in warfare. All the Southern 
people wanted was to be let alone and to be allowed to 
govern themselves as they believed to be right. It was 
only when war was inevitable that they were eager to 
fight in self defense. 

Robert E. Lee Resigns from the United States 
Army. — Colonel Robert E. Lee,* who had distinguished 
himself in the war with Mexico and who was regarded 
as one of the best officers in the United States army, 
resigned his commission soon after Virginia seceded 
from the Union. Lee said that he "could take no part 
in an invasion of the Southern states" and he believed 
that his allegiance was first to Virginia and second to 
the Union. In his resignation he sacrificed the high 
honor of having the chief command of the United States 
army, which was offered to him about the time Virginia 
withdrew from the Union. 

Joseph E. Johnston,* a Virginian, who was quarter- 
master-general of the United States army when Virginia 
seceded, also resigned to join the Confederate army. 
Matthew F. Maury,* another distinguished Virginian, 
who was in the service of the United States in 1861, 
gave up his position and devoted himself to the South- 
ern cause. James E. B. Stuart* did the same, as did 
many others. Only a few Virginians who were United 
States officers at the time remained on the Union side, 
and they did so because they, too, believed that they 

*See Appendix A. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 259 

were right in so doing. Among these was George H. 
Thomas, who became a Federal major-general. 

Richmond is Made the Confederate Capital. — Soon 
after Virginia became one of the Confederate States, 
the capital of the Confederacy was removed from 
Montgomery, Alabama, to Richmond. President Davis 
and his cabinet came to Richmond and there remained 



THE OLD CAPITOL 

until the war was nearly over. The Confederate Con- 
gress met in the state capitol during the war, and the 
house in which President Davis lived was known as the 
"White House of the Confederacy." The capitol is 
still used by the General Assembly of Virginia and the 
state government, and only recently was remodeled. 
President Davis' house is now the Confederate Museum, 
where each Southern state has placed its relics of the 
Avar. 



260 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

THE FIRST YEAR OF THE WAR. 

The Confederate States on the Defensive. — The pur- 
pose in the Civil War on the part of the North was to 
make the seceding states come back into the Union and 
to put down "the rebellion;" on the part of the South, 
the purpose in the war was to defend the Southern 
states from invasion and to keep their independence 
as a nation. The North was thus on the offensive ; the 
South Avas on the defensive. 

By looking at the map of the United States it will be 
seen that the South had to defend herself along four 
lines, as follows: 

1. In the section west of the Mississippi River. 

2. Tn the section between the Mississippi River and 
the AUeghanies. 

3. In the section from the AUeghanies to the At- 
lantic Ocean. 

4. Along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Virginia 
to Texas. 

If, while studying the history of the Civil War, we 
remember these four lines of defense, it will be much 
easier to understand the reasons why troops were placed 
at certain points and why the battles took place where 
they did. The object of the Federal government was 
to break through these lines and invade the South, while 
the Confederacy tried to keep out the invaders. 

The War in Virginia in 1861.— The North believed 
that with the great army of nearly 200,000 men it had, 
only a short time would be needed to break through 
the eastern lines of defense between the AUeghanies and 
the Atlantic, capture Richmond and thus end the war. 
So the first attack of the North was directed toward 
Richmond. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



261 



To defend this line President Davis had an army at 
Manassas under General Beauregard, another at Win- 
chester under General Johnston, General Magruder near 
the mouth of the James River, and General Garnett in 
western Virginia at Rich Mountain. General George B. 
MeClellan with a Federal array defeated Garnett, but 
Magruder defeated the Federals in eastern Virginia. 




WHITE HOUSE OP THE CONFEDERACY, NOW CONFEDERATE 
MU.SEUM, RICHMOND 

General McDowell, with a Federal army of 30,000 men, 
then advanced south from Alexandria toward Richmond. 
General Johnston moved his army from Winchester 
to join Beauregard at Manassas, where General Thomas 
J. Jackson* commanded one of Beauregard's brigades, 
and the combined army of 29,000 men waited at Bull 
Run for the enemy. McDowell crossed Bull Run at 



*See Appendix A. 



262 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Centerville and on July 21 drove the Confederates back 
until his force was stopped by Jackson's men. It 
was at this time that Jackson received the name of 
"Stonewall." As the other Confederate brigade under 
General Bee was being driven back by the Federals, 
Jackson's brigade stood firm, and General Bee called 
out to his men: "Look! There is Jackson standing like 
a stone wall. Rally behind the Virginians!" 

The Confederates under Jackson, Kirby Smith and 
Jubal A. Early, then charged, putting McDowell's forces 
completely to flight. This, the first great battle of the 
war, which is known as the first battle of Manassas, was 
a Confederate victory. 

Later in the year, in August, General Robert E. Lee 
successfully maintained the line of defense between the 
Alleghanies and the Mississippi by defeating the Federal 
General Rosecrans in western Virginia. The Federal 
attacks in Kentucky and Missouri against the Confed- 
erate States also failed. 

All Lines of Defense Unbroken in 1861. — In addition 
to the attacks from the north and the west, the Federal 
fleets had attempted to blockade the Southern ports 
along the Atlantic coast and on the Gulf of Mexico. 
All attacks had failed, however, and the ports were not 
successfully blockaded. Thus every one of the four lines 
of the Confederacy's defense was unbroken in 1861. 



QUESTIONS. 

Wheu did the Civil War actually begin? Why was the firing 

on Fort Sumter not the beginning of the war? 

Why did Virginia secede from the Union? What states 

followed her example? 

What acts of President Lincoln were warlike before war 

actually began? 



SCHOOL BISTORT OF VIRGINIA 263 



4. Why did General Lee resign from the United States armyf 
Name some other Virginians who resigned? 

5. What became the Confederate capital after Virginia seced- 
ed? What building was used by the Confederate Congress? 

6. What was the purpose of the war on the part of the North t 
On the part of the South? 

7. Along what four lines did the South have to defend herself? 

8. Give an account of the first battle of Manassas? What 
Virginia officers were prominent in this battle. Find 
Manassas on the map. 

9. Tell about General Lee 's part in the war in 1861. 
10. What was the situation at the close of 1861? 



THE SECOND YEAR OF THE WAR. 

The Four Lines of Defense in 1862. — In attacking the 
Confederacy's four lines of defense in 1862, the Federal 
armies and fleets were partially successful except on 
the line of defense between the Alleghanies and the 
coast. The Federal fleet under Admiral Farragut 
captured New Orleans and gained control of the Missis- 
sippi River up as far as Natchez, thus partly cutting off 
Texas and Louisiana from the Confederacy. Generals 
Grant and Thomas drove the Confederates out of Ken- 
tucky and Tennessee and cut off Arkansas and Missouri. 
The Federal gunboats were more successful in blockad- 
ing Southern ports on the Atlantic coast then they had 
been in 1861, thus partly cutting off the trade of the 
Confederacy with foreign countries. But the three at- 
tempts to break through the line of defense between the 
Alleghanies and the coast and capture Richmond failed. 
One of these attempts was made by General McClellan, 
another by General Pope, and a third by General 
Burnside. 

The Virginia's Fight with the Monitor. — To defend 
Richmond from the attacks of Federal gunboats on the 



264 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



James River, a wooden warship, the Merrimac, had been 

remodeled, the deck and masts being cut away and 
the ship rebuilt with sloping sides and a roof of heavy- 
iron plates. An iron ram was built into her prow and 

she was fitted with 
heavy guns. Her 
name was changed 
to the Virginia. 
On March 8, 1862, 
he Virginia start- 
ed from Norfolk 
md destroyed two 
Federal warships. 
The next day an 
ironclad ship built 
by the Federals ar- 
rived in Hampton 
Roads from New 
York. The Moni- 
tor's iron deck was 
almost on the level 
of the water, and 
was flat. In the 
center was a 
round turret 
which could be re- 
juoi^^ri i.. junNoTu.s volved, thus allow- 

ing the two heavy guns in the turret to be pointed in any 
direction. The two vessels met and the first battle ever 
fought between ironclads followed. They pounded 
each other's armor Avith heavy shots for several hours, 
unt;l the Monitor retreated to shallow water where the 
Virginia could not follow her. Twice again the Virginia 
tried to engage the .Monitor in battle, but the Federal 




SCHOOL EISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 265 

ironclad would not come out into deep water. In May, 
1862, the Confederates burned the Virginia, because 
the water in the James River was too shallow to per- 
mit her to go to the defense of Richmond, and because 
the Federals had captured Norfolk. 

McClellan 's Campaign Against Richmond. — General 
McClellan had been put in command of the Federal 
armies which were to attack Richmond. General 
Joseph E. Johnston was commanding the Confederate 
armies defending Richmond. McClellan spent about 
nine months, from the end of the summer of 1861, getting 
his army of nearly 100,000 men ready to make the attack. 
His army was divided into four commands. The main 
division was at Fortress Monroe under his own command, 
and it was his intention to go up the York River to Rich- 
mond. Another division was at Manassas under Gen- 
eral McDowell and was ready to march south on Rich- 
mond. A third division was in the Valley of Virginia, 
and a fourth was in western Virginia. It was McClellan 's 
plan to have the division in the Valley overrun that 
section and then join McDowell at Manassas. 

Jackson in the Valley — The Federal forces in the 
Valley were opposed by General "Stonewall" Jackson 
with only about 3,090 men. In January, 1862, Jackson 
attacked 7,000 Federals under General Shields near 
Winchester, and although he did pot de^oat them, 
Lincoln feared that nnlfss General McDowell stopped 
his march to Richmond and r-ame back to the Potomac 
River, Jackson might defeat Shields and march on "Wash- 
ington. Jackson thus prevented McDowell's division 
of McClellan 's army from attacking Richmond from the 
north. 

By several quick marches, Jackson next defeated two 
other Federal forces, one at the upper end of the Valley 



266 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



near Staunton under General Milroy, and the other at 
the lower end of the Valley near Winchester under Gen- 
eral Banks. Then more Federal troops were sent into the 
lower end of the Valley under Generals Fremont and 
Shields to capture Jackson and his small army. In two 

days, Jackson de- 
feated both of 
them, Fremont at 
Cross Keys and 
Shields at Port 
Republic, thus 
keeping McDow- 
ell near Washing- 
ton to defend the 
Federal capital 
and away from 
Richmond. 

M c CI e 11 a n 
Comes Up York 
Peninsula. — While 
Jackson was en- 
gaged in driving 
the Federals out 
of the Valley, Mc- 
(Uellan and 85,- 
000 men were mov- 
ing toward Rich- 
m o n d up the 
peninsula between 
the York and James rivers. This great army was held 
in check during the month of April by 11,000 men under 
General Magruder, but General Johnston, with 45,000 
men in all, did not deem it wise to engage in a general 
battle. Johnston retreated toward Richmond and 




THUMAS J. (stonewall) JACKSON 



SCHOOL SISTOBY OF VIBGINIA 267 

McClellan followed him to the Chickahominy River, 
where his army went into camp to await the coming 
of McDowell from Manassas. McDowell, as we have 
seen, was kept near Washington, however, for fear that 
Jackson would capture the capital. 

On May 31 and June 1, McClellan, having decided to 
attack Richmond without waiting any longer for 
McDowell, had sent part of his force across the Chick- 
ahominy, where it was attacked at Seven Pines and 
at Fair Oaks by Johnston. Johnston was unable to 
drive the enemy back across the river and was himself 
wounded. General Robert E. Lee was then placed in 
command of the Confederate forces, which were there- 
after called the Army of Northern Virginia. 

McClellan is Driven Back by Lee and Jackson. — Just 
at this time Jackson, after his remarkable victories in the 
Valley, made a quick secret march from the Valley to 
join Lee at Richmond. The right wing of McClellan 's 
army was driven back in the battle of Gaines' Mill 
on June 27. McClellan, losing hope of aid from Mc- 
Dowell, began to retreat, although he had 105,000 men. 
Lee, with 57,000 men in all, including Jackson's men, 
pursued him back down the York Peninsula for seven 
days. There was fighting every day, and the seven days 
of retreat are known as the Seven Days' Battles. Mc- 
Clellan finally reached the Federal gunboats at Har- 
rison 's Landing on the James River, and his troops were 
taken to Alexandria. 

Pope's Campaign Against Richmond. — While Mc- 
Clellan 's army was being driven back. General Pope, 
with another Federal army which had been gathered, 
was sent from Washington by way of Culpeper to attack 
Richmond. Lee sent Jackson back to meet him, while 
the other division of Lee 's army, under Longstreet, made 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



ready to follow. At Cedar Run, Jackson defeated the 
advance troops of Pope's army, and Longstreet's men 
marched to meet Pope's main army, which had camped 
on the Rappahannock River. In thirty-six hours, on 

August 25 and 26, 
Jackson's men 
marched fifty miles 
around Pope's army, 
destroying its sup- 
plies, on toward 
Washington for some 
distance, and then 
back, creating terror 
in the Federal capi- 
tal. H i s smaller 
force kept Pope's 
70,000 men from ad- 
vancing for four 
days more, until Lee 
with Longstreet and 
his men arrived. The 
Confederates and the 
Federals met at Ma- 
nassas a second time, 
and by one great 
charge Lee's army of 
50,000 men, composed 
of Longstreet's and 
Jackson's corps, de- 
feated Pope 's supe- 
rior numbers and drove them back toward Washington. 
The way was open for Lee to invade the Federal 
territory, and in September he marched into Maryland. 
He fought with McClellan at Spartansburg an indecisive 
though bloody battle, in which the total loss on both 
sides was 25,000 men. 




ElOBERT £. LEE 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 269 

Burnside's Campaiofn Against Riclimond. — For two 
months MeClellan waited until he could recruit his 
army to still greater numbers before making the third 
campaign of the year against Richmond. While Lee 
watched for his advance, Gen. J. E. B. Stuart and 1,800 
cavalry were sent into Maryland. Stuart circled 
MeClellan 's army, and MeClellan advanced toward 
Culpeper to invade Virginia again. 

Before MeClellan could make another attempt, Lin- 
coln put General Burnside in his place. MeClellan had 
been severely criticij^ed for his slowness and for his 
defeat in the York Peninsula. Lee hastened to meet 
Burnside at Fredericksburg in December. Burnside 
had nearly 100,000 men, but Lee had placed the main 
part of his army on Marye's Heights at Fredericks- 
burg. Jackson's corps kept Burnside from attacking 
Lee on the right, and the Federals were forced to charge 
up the heights. This was one of the bloodiest battles of 
the Civil War, Burnside being driven back across the 
Rappahannock, leaving 13,000 dead Federals behind. 
The Confederate loss was 5,000 men. 

Burnside was removed from command of the Fed- 
eral Army of the Potomac, and General "Fighting Joe" 
Hooker was placed in command. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. What were the four lines of defense in 18(i2? 

2. Describe the fight between the Virginia and the Monitor? 

3. What were MeClellan 's plans for capturing Richmond? Who 
commanded the Confederates? 

4. Give an account of Jackson's campaign in the Valley. 

5. Tell about MeClellan 's movements up the York Peninsula. 
What battles were fought? Why was Lee put in Johnston's 
place? 




LEE AND JACKSON BEFORE THE BATTLE OF CHANCELLORSVILLE 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 



6. Give an account of Lee and Jackson's campaign against 
McClellan. 

7. Who now took charge of the Federal army? In what battle 
was he badly defeated? 

8. What were Lee's next movements? What battle was fought 
in Maryland? 

9. Tell about the battle of Fredericksburg. Who suoceeded 
Burnside after this battle? 

10. Locate on the map all of the battles fought in 1862 in 
Virginia. Locate Sharpsburg and trace Lee's line of march. 



THE THIRD YEAR OF THE AVAR. 

The Four Lines of Defense in 1863.— Just as in 1862, 
the Federals tried to break down the four lines of the 
Confederacy 's defense. This was the decisive year of the 
war. The Confederate ports along the Atlantic coast 
were successfully blockaded by the Federal fleets, and 
the South could get no help or supplies from other 
countries. By the capture of Vicksburg by Grant, the 
entire Mississippi River was in the control of the Fed- 
erals. The Confederates under General Bragg were de- 
feated at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge near 
Chattanooga by Generals Rosecrans and Grant, and the 
way opened for the Federals to march into the Con- 
federacy south of Virginia. The attempt to break down 
the line along the Potomac and to capture Richmond 
again failed, however, although Lee was defeated at 
Gettysburg in his invasion of Pennsylvania. All except 
one of the important battles in 1863 were fought out- 
side of Virginia. 

The Battle of Chancellorsville. — During the winter 
of 1862 and 1863. the Army of Northern Virginia of 



272 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



53,000 men under General Lee,* and the Array of the Po- 
tomac of 130,000 men, were encamped near Fredericks- 
burg. The Confederates were ragged and without suffi- 
cient provis'ons, while the Federals lived comfortably 

in tents with plen- 
ty of rations and 
warm clothes. It 
was an extremely 
hard winter on 
Lee 's forces, but 
they remained 
faithful and cheer- 
ful, anxious for 
the spring to come 
when they could 
again drive the en- 
emy out of Vir- 
ginia. 

Finally in April, 
when part of 
Longstreet's corps 
was away, Hook- 
er with part of his 
men crossed the 
• • ' '' ''' Rap pa hannoc'k 

above Lee and encamped at Chancellorsville. The 
other part of his army, under General Sedgwick, pre- 
tended to begin crossing the river at Fredericksburg. 
The plan did not deceive Lee. Leaving Early with less 
than 10.000 men to keep Sedgwick from crossing, Lee 




*The Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Lee, wa« 
composed of two corps. One w;:s under Lieutenant General Longstreet, and 
consisted of six divisions commanded by Major-Generals McLaws, R. H. 
Anderson, Pickett. Hood, and Ransom. The other was under Lieutenant- 
General Jackson and consisted of five divisions commanded by Major- 
Generals D. H. Hill, A. P. Hill, Jubal A. Early, and W. B. Taliaferro. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



273 



sent Jackson with 26,000 men through the dense woods 
of the section called the "Wilderness" to attack Hooker 
on the other side. Jackson did this, May 2, so quickly 
and so secretly, with General Stuart leading his men, 
that Hooker and his army were completely surprised 
and thrown into confusion. The next day Lee attacked 
Hooker again and drove his army back. Then Lee 




DEATH OF "stonewall" JACKSON 

returned to Fredericksburg and drove Sedgwick back, 
completely defeating the attempt to march to Rich- 
mond. 

Death of Jackson. — The victory at Chancellorsville 
was gained at a fearful cost to the Confederacy, however. 
Just after Jackson had surprised Hooker's army and as 
he M^as riding in the night to his headquarters, he was 
fired upon hy mistake by some of his own men. His left 
arm was shattered by two bullets near the elbow and 
one ball passed through his right hand. His injuries 
were so serious that his arm had to be amputated. 



,274 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



While he was in this weakened condition, pneumonia 
set in, and eight chiys hiter. May 10, 1863, the great 
military leader died. He was buried at Lexington. Lee 
fully understood what a great blow this was. He had 

called Jackson his 
"right arm," and 
had relied upon 
him to do the most 
difificult planning 
and fighting of the 
Army of North- 
iTn Virginia. 

Lee 's Invasion 
of the North. — 
The way was again 
opened by the de- 
feat of Hooker to 
invade the ene- 
my's country. At 
this time the 
North was much 
liseouraged by the 
defeats of its ar- 
mies, and many of 
the Northern peo- 
ple wanted peace. 
Lee believed that 
in invasion of the 
. North 's territory would make Northern people demand 
that Lincoln end the war in a peaceful manner, and 
he determined to march through Maryland into Penn- 
sylvania and then southward toward Washington. 

In a great battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the 
Federals under General Meade defeated the Confeder- 




GEORGE E. PICKETT 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 275 

ates because of superior numbers and because they 
occupied higher ground than Lee's forces. The battle 
lasted three days. On the third daj^ a final attempt to 
force the Federals from their position was made in a 
splendid charge by the Virginia troops, led by General 
George E. Pickett.* It was one of the greatest charges 
in history, but the Virginians were not reinforced and 
could not hold the ground they had gained. The battle 
of Gettysburg was the turning point of the war. The 
Federal victory encouraged the North, and more sol- 
diers were recruited. Lee's army was greatly weak- 
ened and retreated to Orange Court House where it 
camped for the winter. 



QUESTIONS. 
What misfortunes befell the Confederates in 1863? How 
many important battles were fought in Virginia in 1863? 
Describe the battle of Chancellorsville. 

Tell about the death of Jackson. How did Lee regard the 
loss of Jackson? 

Give an account of Lee's invasion of the North and the 
battle of Gettysburg. 

What is said of this battle? Where did Lee's army go after 
the battle of Gettysburg? 

Locate Chancellorsville on the map. Trace Lee's march into 
Pennsylvania. Who commanded the Federals at Gettysburg? 



THE FOURTH YEAR OF THE WAR. 

Only Two Lines of Defense Left. — In 1863, we saw 
that the way was opened by the defeat of General Bragg 
for the Federals to march into the Confederacy south of 
Virginia. To stop their attack General Johnston was 
put in command of the Confederate forces in the South, 

*Soe Appendix A. 



276 SCHOOL HISTORT OF VIRGINIA 

while General Lee remained in Virginia to defend Rich- 
mond. 

In 1864 General Ulysses S. Grant was put in command 
of all the Federal armies. His plan was to send General 
W. T. Sherman from Chattanooga, defeat Johnston and 
march across the Confederacy so that the southern 
supplies for Lee's army could be cut off. This plan suc- 
ceeded, and Sherman marched to Atlanta and thence to 
Savannah, destro.ying and pillaging the country on what 
is known as his "March to the Sea." Johnston and his 
remnant of an army remained south of Virginia to try 
to prevent any attempt by Sherman to march northward 
to join Grant. 

Grant's plan against Lee was for Meade to lead the 
Army of the Potomac toward Richmond, to have Gen- 
eral B. F. Butler and his Federal force go up the 
James River and attack Lee's army in the rear and 
capture Richmond, and to have General Hunter cut off 
Lee's supplies from the Valley of Virginia and West 
Virginia. The Federal armies were greatly increased 
by recruits, while the Confederates were unable to secure 
many new men. Grant thus expected to wear Lee's army 
out by attacking it and leaving it no source of food or 
other supplies. 

In Winter Quarters in Northern Virginia.^ — During 
the winter of 1863-1864, Meade's Army of the Potomac, 
which defeated Lee at Gettysburg, was encamped at 
Culpeper. The Army of Northern Virginia spent the 
winter at Orange. The Federals were comfortably 
housed, fed and clothed, for they had all the supplies 
they needed from the North. Lee's soldiers, however, 
had barely enough to eat, were ragged and gaunt, and 
slept on beds of straw in log huts and tattered tents. 
The Confederate soldier had for his daily food a small 



278 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

sliee of pork with a little meal or some crackers. Meade 's 
army numbered over 120,000 men; Lee's army was 
about half that number. ., 

The war had taken away from the farms and plan- 
tations nearly all of the white men. Many of the 
fields had been laid waste or were nneliltivated. Horses 
and mules had been taken away for use in the army. 
Many of the people had gone to Richmond and other 
large towns and needed food themselves. Their money, 
which they had changed into Confederate currency, 
was becoming worthless because fear was now being 
felt in the South that the Confederacy could not be 
independent. Prices of everything, especially food, 
were extremely high, partly because articles were scarce 
and partly because the value of Confederate money had 
decreased. 

Grant Tries to Capture Richmond from the North. — 
The troops under Meade were the main army of the 
Federals. Grant took charge of this force himself and 
prepared to capture Richmond from the north. On 
May 4. 1864, he marched southward through the "Wilder- 
ness over the battlefield of Chancellorsville with the 
intention of getting between Lee's army and Richmond. 
Lee prevented him from doing this by attacking his 
army on May 5 and 6. The fighting in the wilderness 
was heavy. Grant had 18,000 men killed and Lee about 
9,000, and Grant was forced to turn southeast. Lee 
quickly marched to Spottsylvania Court House and 
had his men dig trenches for fortifications in front of 
Grant's army. There the battle of Spottsylvania was 
fought. Grant's men attacked Lee's fortified army for 
several days, but were driven back with great slaughter. 
Finally he gave up this attempt and again turned south- 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 279 

eastward toward Cold Harbor. During the battles of 
the Wilderness and Spottsylvania Court House, General 
Lee twice placed himself at the head of troops to lead 
charges against the enemy, but each time the Confed- 
erates, fearing that their great leader might be wounded 
or killed, shouted, "Lee to the rear !," until he went back 
to a place of greater safety. Then they made the charge 
themselves, and full of enthusiasm for "Marse Robert," 
drove the enemy back. 

The Attempt Falls. — Grant continued his march until 
he reached Cold Harbor, where he tried to turn west 
toward Richmond. Again he found that Lee was be- 
fore him with his army intrenched. On June 3, Grant 
had his army of now^ 80,000 men attack the Confeder- 
ates. So deadly was the fire of Lee's men that 6,000 
Federals fell dead on the battlefield in ten minutes. 
At the same time General Phil. Sheridan, with the Fed- 
eral cavalry, tried to attack Richmond from the west. 
The Confederate cavalry under General "Jeb" Stuart 
arrived at Yellow Tavern in time to check the Federals, 
but in the battle Stuart received wounds from which 
he died on the following day. Thus Lee lost a general 
who, next to Jackson, was the most valuable leader he 
had. 

So far. Grant 's attempt to capture Richmond from the 
north had failed. In the battles of the Wilderness, 
Spottsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, Yellow Tavern, 
and at other points. Grant in forty days had lost 60,000 
men. Lee lost 20,000 men. But Grant could get plenty 
more men and had an abundance of provisions and 
ammunition and arms. Lee's men could not be replaced, 
and his men were ragged and half fed and worn out by 
the quick marches over long distances to meet the enemy. 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 



281 



Butler "Bottled Up." — General Butler's campaign 
to capture Richmond from the east was easily stopped. 
That Federal general had moved his army up the James 
River near Richmond and waited for Grant's army to 
join him. Before Grant could break through Lee's lines 

a n d join Butler, 
General Beaure- 
gard, who com- 
manded a part of 
Johnston 's army 
in North Carolina, 
marched north in- 
to Virginia, and 
drove Butler be- 
tween the James 
and Appomattox 
rivers. There he 
stayed, "bottled 
up," as Grant call- 
ed it, until the 
campaign was 
nearly ended. 

Grant 's Attack 
on Richmond from 
the Southeast. — 
liecause he had 
found it impossi- 
ble to reach Rich- 

FITZHUGHLEE ,,^qj^^ ^^^^ ^he 

north or east, Grant determined to march around Rich- 
mond and make an attempt to capture it from the 
southeast. He moved his army from Cold Harbor across 
the James and turned toward Petersburg. There he 
was again faced by Lee 's veterans, and in front of Peters- 




282 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

burg was repulsed with severe losses. Then he tried to 
move south of Lee and seize the Petersburg and Weldon 
Railroad, by which supplies were being brought to Lee's 
army from North Carolina, but Generals W. H. F. Lee, 
Wade Hampton and Fitzhugh Lee,* commanding the 
Confederate cavalry, drove back the Federal cavalry at 
Reams Station. 




V. M. I. CADETS AT NEW MARKET 

Finally Grant tried a desperate experiment to break 
through Lee's lines in front of Petersburg. A tunnel 
was dug from the Federal lines underground to a point 
under the Confederate troops. Large quantities of 
powder were carried through the tunnel and placed 
under the Confederate lines. On July 30 the powder 
was ignited and a great explosion took place. Grant 
had planned that the explosion of the mine should make 
a great opening in the Confederate lines, through which 
his men could march to Petersburg and on to Rich- 

*See Appendix A. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 283 

mond. But as his troops marched into the ''Crater," 
as the place where the explosion took place was called, 
the Confederates poured shot and shell into them and 
5,000 Federals were killed. They were driven back. 

During August and September Grant made four more 
attacks on Lee's lines, but the Federals were repulsed. 
About 16,000 of Grant's men were killed in these attacks, 
while the Confederate loss was very slight. 

Hunter's Campaign in the Valley.— While Lee and 
Grant were fighting around Richmond, it was Grant's 
plan, as we have seen, to have General Hunter, command- 
ing the forces of Generals Sigel and Crook, 18,000 men 
in all, cut oif Lee's supplies from the Valley of Vir- 
ginia, and, if possible, attack Richmond from the west. 

Crook marched to the Valley from western Virginia, 
and Sigel marched up the Valley. Sigel was stopped at 
New Market by General J. C. Breckenridge's forces and 
the cadets from the Virginia Military Institute. Crook 's 
and Sigel's forces united, and, under command of Gen- 
eral Hunter, inarched down the Valley, for Brecken- 
ridge had to hurry to Cold Harbor to aid in stopping 
Grant's attack. The march of the Federals up the 
Valley is called "Hunter's Raid," since he destroyed 
property and laid waste the fields. The Virginia Mili- 
tary Institute was burned down, and Hunter turned 
east toward Richmond. 

Sheridan and the Federal cavalry tried to join Hunter, 
but at Trevillian Station, in June, they were defeated 
by Wade Hampton and the Confederate cavalry. Gen- 
eral Jubal A. Early* with 10,000 soldiers was sent by 
Lee to stop Hunter. This he did just in time to save 

*See Appendix A. 



284 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



Lynchburg from being occupied by Hunter, who was 
driven back over the Alleghany Mountains. 

Early Invades Maryland. — By this time Grant had be- 
gun his attacks on Lee before Petersburg. Lee believed 

that if Early could 
march doAvn the Val- 
ley and threaten 
Washington itself, re- 
inforcements would be 
prevented from com- 
ing to Grant. This 
proved true and 
greatly aided Lee. 
Early marched down 
the Valley, crossed the 
Potomac into Mary- 
land, and, after defeat- 
ing General Lew Wal- 
lace's Federal forces, 
turned toward Wash- 
ington. After causing 
the Federal troops to 
be hurried to defend 
Washington, Early retreated up the Valley. Sheridan, 
with 55,000 men, was sent by Grant against Early and 
his 13,000 men. During September several battles 
took place, the result of which was that Early's small 
army was forced to retreat up the Valley. Colonel 
John S. Mosby and his 400 troopers frequently attacked 
Sheridan's men during this campaign. So daring were 
they and so quick in their marches that Sheridan's large 
army was kept worried, and the Federals had to use a 
large force to guard their supplies. 




JOHN S. MOSBY 



SCHOOL HIS TOBY OF VIBGINIA 285 

Although Early was forced back by superior numbers, 
he had accomplished his purpose by driving Hunter out 
of the Valley and by keeping reinforcements from join- 
ing Grant. 



QUESTIOiYS. 

1. What were the two lines of defence in 1864? 

2. Who was put in command of the Union armies in 1864? 
What was his plan against Lee? 

3. Tell how the Union and Confederate armies fared during the 
winter of 1863-1864. 

4. What was Grant's plan for capturing Eichmond? In what 
battles was he defeated? 

.5. Where was Stuart killed? Why was this a severe loss to 
Lee. How many men did Grant lose in this campaign? How 
many did Lee lose? Why coidd Grant afford to lose more 
men than Lee? 

6. Tell about the "bottling up" of Butler. 

7. How did Grant next try to capture Eichmond? What was the 
"Crater"? 

8. Give an account of Hunter's .campaign in the Valley? 
What part did the V. M. I. cadets have in the Valley 
fighting ? 

9. Tell about Early's invasion of Maryland. 

10. Locnte on t!ie m-iD the principal battles fought in 1864. 
Name the most prominent generals on each side. 



THE END OF THE WAR, 1865. 

The Confederacy's Last Defense. — In 1864, all lines of 
the Confederacy's defense had been broken. Every 
effort was made in 1865 to defend the capital, Richmond. 
Grant's plan of campaign was to advance on Rich- 
mond by way of Petersburg and to have Genera] Sher- 
man march north and join him in the final attack on the 
capital. To meet this campaign, Lee had his force of 
45,000 men around Petersburg. Grant had 125,000 men, 
well supplied with food, ammunition and guns. Lee's 



286 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



army was almost starving. There were no supplies and 
little ammunition. In the Carolinas was General 
Joseph E. Johnston with a small army composed of 
what was left of Hood's army and of other Confeder- 
ate forces. Against 
the greater num - 
hers of Sherman 
he made a success- 
ful stand and kept 
the Federals from 
joining Grant at 
Petersburg. 

General R. E. 
Lee was put in 
command of all the 
Confederate forces 
in February, 1865. 
Before this he had 
been commander 
of the Army of 
Northern Vir- 
^^^^^^^^^^^ ginia. It was too 

\m ■'^^'-'mB^^^^PIH^^^^^^I thing more than 

Wk ^njil^RHHHt 'I^^^^^^H '^-'^^^^^ Richmond 

as long as it was 
juBALA. EARLY humanlv possible. 

The enemy was too great in numbers, and there was no 
way in which to recruit the Confederate forces. 

The Confederate Line Broken.— Grant had occupied 
himself during the winter and spring with preparations 
for the final attack on the thin lines of Lee's weakened 
army. On April 1, 1865, his assault began. General 




SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 287 

Pickett's division was driven back by the Federal forces 
at Five Forks, and the next day Grant's men succeeded 
in breaking through the Confederate line only four miles 
from Petersburg. General A. P. Hill* rushed his men to 
stop the Federals as they marched toward Petersburg, 
but he was killed and his men driven back. Lee then 
gave orders to abandon Petersburg. 

The evacuation of Richmond was of course necessary. 
The Confederate cabinet and President Davis, with the 
government documents, were rushed by rail to Danville. 
Danville was the last capital of the Confederacy, and 
there in the Sutherlin mansion President Davis per- 
! formed his last acts as the head of the nation. As Rich- 
mond was abandoned, the tobacco warehouses were set 
atire to prevent them from being seized by the enemy, 
but the flames spread to other buildings and a large part 
of the city was destroyed. 

The next day, April 3, Grant took possession of Rich- 
mond and Petersburg. 

Lee's Army Surrounded.— Lee retreated westward 
along the Appomattox River. He hoped to be able to 
join Johnston's army. At Amelia Court House the Con- 
federates were, entirely out of provisions and it was 
necessary to stop and hunt for food. They had nothing 
to eat but parched corn and buds of trees. The delay, 
although absolutely necessary, gave Grant time to send 
part of his army south of Lee and between him and Dan- 
ville. Lee was thus forced to turn toward Lynchburg, 
and 8,000 Confederates were captured as they retreated. 
Grant then sent another part of his army north of Lee 
and behind him, thus stopping his retreat toward Lynch- 
burg. 

*See Appendix A. 



288 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF I IRGINIA 



Thus Lee and his remaining 28,000 starving soldiers 
were completely surrounded by Grant's great army of 
well-equipped men. It was impossible to cut through the 
enemy's lines. The Confederates, worn out and des- 
perately poor as they were, were eager to make the 




attempt, and were willing to die before surrendering. 
But Lee knew that it was hopeless and was unwilling 
to sacrifice the lives of his men needlessly. There was 
nothing to do but to surrender. 

The Surrender at Appomattox. — At the home of the 
McLean family, in the old village of Appomattox Court 
House, Lee and Grant met. The two great generals 
arranged the terms of surrender quickly, and Grant was 
considerate and magnanimous. He allowed the Con- 
federate officers to retain their swords and the Confed- 
erate privates to keep their horses and mules and to 
return to their homes. 



SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 289 

The scene among the Confederates as Lee returned 
from McLean's home was a sad one. The men were 
clothed in rags and many were barefooted. They had 
not had sufficient food for months, and were thin and 
gaunt. Yet when their leader rode back from his meet- 
ing with Grant, many of them broke down and cried. 
They did not want to surrender. As they crowded 
around Lee 's horse the great leader was as much affected 
as they. He could only say : 

"Men, we have fought through the war together. I 
have done the best I could for you. My heart is too full 
to say more." 

There was no criticism of Lee by the men, however. 
They knew that he had done his best and more than any 
other man could have done. 

The next day Lee issued a farewell address to his 
soldiers. The Confederates, after four years of fight- 
ing and suffering, were eager to fight even longer had 
"Marse Robert" but given the word, and defeated only 
by hunger and the superior numbers of the enemy, they 
left for their homes. Some rode the mules and horses 
that were left, some went by train, but many had to 
wander on foot to their poverty-stricken homes. 

The Co-nfederacy at an End. — After Lee surrendered, 
the other scattered Confederate forces did the same. 
Five days after the surrender at Appomattox, President 
Lincoln was assassinated by a crazy actor. Secretary of 
"War Stanton accused President Davis of having plotted 
the assassination. The accusation was of course false, 
and was later found to be without a shred of truth. Presi- 
dent Davis himself left Danville and went south. In 
Georgia, on May 10, 1865, he was made a prisoner by 
Federal cavalry and taken to Fortress Monroe, Vir- 
ginia. For two years he was imprisoned there, suffering 



290 SCUOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

many indignities and even cruel treatment. In 1867 he 
was brought to be tried before a United States court on 
the charge of treason. He was bailed, and later the 
charge was dropped. 

With the surrender of the Confederate armies, the 
Confederacy was at an end. President Andrew John- 
son, who succeeded Lincoln, issued proclamations restor- 
ing all the Southern states to the Union, and appointed 
temporary governors. But Congress did not agree with 
Johnson's plan, and considered the Southern states as 
conquered territory. They refused to recognize the 
states as restored by President Johnson unless the states 
themselves would agree not to allow any who had been 
Confederates to hold office and would permit the negroes 
to become citizens. This every Southern state except 
Tennessee refused to do, and Congress then put them 
under military government. Virginia was made Military 
District No. 1. 

Virginia's Part in the War. — Since Virginia was the 
chief l)attleground of the war, her people suffered more 
from its ravages than did those of any other state, and 
more of her people took part in it. Virginia furnished 
most of the Confederacy's greatest leaders, and practi- 
cally every white man and boy able to carry a musket, in 
central and eastern Virginia, was in the Confederate 
army. Every Virginia woman and girl did her part in 
making clothes for the soldiers, caring for the wounded, 
and struggling at home to take care of the farm and 
plantation. 

The state government, with John Letcher as governor 
(he was known as the "War Governor"), contributed 
funds for ammunition, supplies and pay of soldiers. The 
General Assembly and the state conventions which met 
during the war aided the Confederate Congress in every 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 2&i 

possible way. About $45,000,000 was spent by the state 
government for war expenses. Part of this great sum 
came from higher taxes, part from using the money for 
schools and internal improvements, and part was bor- 
rowed money in the form of loans and ' ' treasury notes, ' ' 
and other kinds of paper money, which became worthless 
at the end of the war. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. What last line of defense remained in 1865? What was the 
strength of the opposing armies. 

2. What took place around Petersburg? Tell about the evacua- 
tion of Richmond. 

3. What did Lee hope to do when he began to retreat from 
Petersburg? How was he prevented? Why did he decide to 
surrender? 

4. Give an account of the surrender. Tell about the assassina- 
tion of Lincoln. Tell about the arrest and imprisonment 
of President Davis. 

6. What events followed the surrender of Lee's army? 

7. Tell about Virginia's part in the war. 

8. Locate on the map the battles fought in 1865. Trace Lee 's 
retreat from Petersburg to Appomattox. Locate Lynchburg, 



292 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF I'IRGINIA 



PERIOD OF RECONSTRUCTION 

1865-1868. 

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA: 

STATES: Francis H. Pierpont (1865- 
Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865). 1868). 

Andrew .Tohnson (1865-1869). Henry H. Wells (1868-1869). 

Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877). Gilbert C. Walker (1869-1870). 

Separation of West Virgfinia. — When the eonvention 
elected by the people to say whether or not Virginia was 
to secede, met in Richmond in April, 1861, all the dele- 
gates from the western counties voted against secession. 
When the majority decided to secede, many people in 
the western and northern parts of the state met together 
in Wheeling, in May, 1861. and again in June, and said 
they would stand by the Union. They also said that 
there was no longer any state government at Richmond 
because it was not loyal to the Union, and, therefore, 
they started a government of their own. This govern- 
ment was called the "Restored Government" of Vir- 
ginia, and the people in the loyal counties in the west 
and along the coast, elected an Assembly, a governor, 
and other officers. 

Many people of western Virginia were not satisfied 
with this. As we have seen, they had for many years 
disagreed with the other Virginians, and now they 
wanted to be made into a new state. So the Assembly of 
the "Restored Government" passed an act providing for 
a new state to be called Kanawha, which was afterwards 
changed to West Virginia. The Assembly of the "Re- 
stored Government," which the United States Congress 
recognized as the real government of Virginia, having 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 293 

given its consent. Congress passed a law allowing the 
western counties to be made into the new state of West 
Virginia on June 19, 1863. 

The "Restored Government" of Virginia. — After 
West Virginia -was separated from Virginia, there M^as 
not much left of the "Restored Government." Still the 
counties of Alexandria, Fairfax, Accomac, Northampton, 
and the country around Norfolk, elected senators and 
delegates, wdio met in Alexandria, where the governor, 
Francis H. Pierpont, lived. As these counties were under 
the control of the Federal army, the people there could 
not drive the Unionists out, and so the "Restored Gov- 
ernment" continued until the end of the war, when Pier- 
pont, with his "Assembly" made up of three senators 
and nine delegates, came to Richmond and took charge 
of the conquered state. 

Pierpont tried to bring about peace between the Vir- 
ginians and the North, and to let the Virginia people 
govern themselves as soon as possible. But some of the 
Republicans who were with him, did not want any of 
those who fought on the Southern side to be allowed to 
vote or to hold office, though they wanted the negroes to 
vote. This would have meant that there would soon 
have been a government by the negroes, and the white 
people of Virginia began to oppose them in every way. 

"Reconstruction." — President Andrew Johnson had 
planned to do just as Pierpont was trying to do, but 
when the Virginia people elected Congressmen in 1865. 
Congress would not receive them at all. This meant that 
the government of Virginia did not suit the Northern 
members of Congress, and that it had to be "recon- 
structed" to fit their ideas. 

In order to carry out this "reconstruction," Congress 
passed a law on March 2. 1867, making Virginia a mili- 



294 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

tary district, and placed John M. Schofield, a Union 
general, in command. 

The Freedman's Bureau. — In the meantime, Congress 
also passed a law allowing negroes to vote. As soon as 
this was done, it sent some officers to see that the negroes 
were not ill-treated by the whites, or did not suffer from 
hunger or sickness ; to help in providing schools for them ; 
to keep the whites and the negroes as friendly as possible, 
and to give to the negroes the land that had been taken 
away from the whites. These officers were the "Freed- 
man's Bureau," and the white people of Virginia hated 
them and their work. 

The negroes, who had been used to having masters 
to tell them what to do and to support them, did not 
know how to take their freedom. They thought that 
"freedom" meant that they did not have to work any 
more, while, quite to the contrary, it meant that they 
did have to work to support themselves instead of being 
clothed and fed by their masters. Most of them either 
wandered idly over the country, refusing to be hired 
and stealing food, or went to cities or towns where they 
had a still harder time. The white farmer could not 
get anybody to work in the fields, and hence his crops 
suffered. In some instances the Freedman's Bureau 
helped the negroes, and did a great deal of good ; but 
it did a great deal of harm in causing bad feeling be- 
tween them and their old masters. 

The Union League. — But another thing did more than 
this to cause trouble. Some Republicans formed a secret 
society called the "Union League" for the purpose of 
teaching the negroes to vote for the Republicans for 
office. They held their meetings at midnight with a lot 
of ceremonies, curious sounds, and clanking of chains 
in order to make the superstitious negroes afraid not to 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 29g 

join and do as they said. So many negroes joined the 
league that nearly all of them became Republicans, and 
when Congress gave permission to the Virginia people, 
white and black, in the fall of 1867, to elect a convention 
to make a new constitution, the Republicans had votes 
enough to elect 72 out of 105 delegates. In this election 
93,145 negroes and only 76,084 whites voted, and 25 of 
the delegates were negroes. The Republicans, includ- 
ing the negroes, thus had the larger number of votes in 
the convention and could make any kind of a constitu- 
tion they wanted.* 

The Conservatives Become Active. — The rest of the 
white people of Virginia, who were known as "Con- 
servatives," became very much alarmed at this election. 
They had not tried as hard as they should have done to 
elect Conservative delegates, and their leaders now 
Siaw that unless they were to have the Republicans or 
"Radicals" and negroes rule them, they would have to 
arouse the people so as to get them to vote against the 
new constitution when the time came for all the citizens, 
white and colored, to say whether or not they 
wanted it. There was a meeting of the chief Conserva- 
tive men held at Richmond in December, and, forgetting 
all their differences, they resolved to stand together. 
They said that they did not want slavery again, nor 
did they want to be unjust to the negroes in any way; 
but while they wanted Virginia to be loyal to the Union, 
they declared that they would not be ruled by their 
former slaves. 

*The Constitutional Convpntion of 1867-1868 was composed of about 65 
Radicals and 35 Conservatives. Most of the Conservatives were white 
Virginians, but the Radicals were a mixed lot. Among them were 24 
negroes, 14 white Virginians, 13 New Yorkers, and one each from Penn- 
sylvania, Ohio, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, South Carolina, Maryland, 
and the District of Columbia. Besides these, among the Radicals" were 
two from England, and one each from Ireland. Scotland and Canada. 
The Northerners for the most part had come to Virginia to try their 
chances of making money and gaining influence among the negroes. 
They were known as "carpet-baggers," and were held in great disdain 
by the native Virginians. The less patriotic native Virginians who helped 
the carpet-baggers in their schemes were called "scalawags." 



296 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

The Constitutional Convention of 1867-1868. — When 
the constitutional convention met soon afterwards, the 
Radicals and Conservatives had some very exciting and 
bitter debates. The main questions were: (1) how should 
the people be taxed, (2) public schools, and (3) who 
should vote. Tiie Radicals wanted land taxed the most, 
and not trades or persons, so that the land owners would 
have to pay most of the tax and the negroes very little ; 
this was so done. They also adopted a system of public 
schools, and they should be given the credit for doing 
a great good to Virginia in doing this. The negro dele- 
gates wanted it arranged so that children of both races 
should go to the same schools, but even the white Radicals 
voted against this. 

The greatest fight was over who should be allowed to 
vote. The Radicals finally made the new constituition 
so that every man who had held any office under the Con- 
federacy could not vote. But when, in 1869, the con- 
stitution was given to the people to be accepted, the 
Conservatives had enough votes to reject that part of 
it, although the rest of it was accepted. 

Gilbert C. Walker Elected Governor.— In 1868, Gen- 
eral H. H. Wells, a Radical Republican, had been made 
governor, but after the constitution was adopted many 
of the white Republicans grew tired of hearing about 
the rights of negroes and the like, and they named Gil- 
bert C. Walker, who so pleased the Conservatives that 
they joined in with the Republicans, and Walker was 
elected as the first governor under the new constitution. 

When the new Assembly met in October, there were 
27 negro members, but the majority of the white mem- 
bers were of the Conservative party. One of the first 
things the Assembly did was to agree to the United States 



SCHOOL HISTORY OK VIRGINIA 297 

constitiTtion, and Congress, in January, 1870, took Vir- 
ginia back into the Union, nearly nine years after she 
had seceded. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. When (lid West Virginia become a separate state? What led 
to the separation? 

2. Tell about the "Restored Government" of Virginia. Who 
was governor during this time? 

3. How did Congress propose to "reconstruct" the government 
of Virginia? 

■4. What was the Freedman 's Bureau f 

5. What was the Union League? Tell about the election in 1867. 

6. Who were the "Conservatives"? 

7. Give an account of the constitutional convention of 1867- 
1868. What were the main questions before the convention! 

8. Who was elected governor in 1868? How many negroes were 
there in the new Assembly? What was one of the first things 
done by the Assembly? When was Virginia taken back into 
the Union? 



298 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



VIRGINIA SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

1868 



PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED 

STATES * 

Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877). 
Kutherford B. Hayes (1877- 

1881). 
James A. Garfield (1881). 
Chester A. Arthur (1881- 

1885), 
Grover Cleveland (1885-1889). 
Benjamin Harrison (1889- 

'1893). 
Grover Cleveland (1893-1897). 
William McKinlev (1897- 

1901). 
Theodore Eoosevelt (1901- 

1909). 
William H. Taft (1909-1913). 
Woodrow Wilson (1913 ). 



GOVERNOR OP VIRGINIA: 

Gilbert C. Walker (1870-1874). 
James L. Kemper (1874-1878). 
F. W. M. Holliday (1878- 

1882). 
William E. Cameron (1882- 

1886). 
Fitzhugh Lee (1886-1890). 
Philip W. McKinney (1890- 

1894). 
Charles T. O'Ferrall (1894- 

1898). 
J. Hoge Tyler (1898-1902). 
Andrew J.' Montague (1902- 

1906). 
Claude A. Swanson (1906- 

1910). 
William H. Mann (1910- 

1914). 
Henrv ''arter Stuart (1914- 

The history of Virginia since the Civil War is the 
story of how the people of what was once central and 
eastern Virginia — western Virginia having been form- 
ed into a new state — struggled against the ruin, 
poverty, and discouragements that the war had brought, 
and successfully overcame these obstacles. In studying 
this part of Virginia's history, it is well to keep in mind 
that it really divides itself into two periods. One is from 
1868 until about 1885, when the state was busy trying to 
repair and replace what had been destroyed and when 
her people were getting used to new ways of farming, 
manufacturing, and living. The other period is from 
about 1885 until the present time, when rapid progress 
was made in nearly all lines. Especially has this been 
true since 1904. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 299 

In this section of our history, we will study : first, the 
conditions after the war and how the people met their 
difficulties, as well as some of the chief events up to the 
present ; and, second, how the internal improvement debt 
was settled, political parties, the establishment of the 
public school system, farming and manufactures, and, 
finally, the progress of the last few years. 

CONDITIONS AFTER THE WAR. 

Reasons for Discouragement. — ^When General Lee and 
his ragged army surrendered at Appomattox and the 
brave men who had fought on the Southern side were 
}>idden farewell by "Marse Robert," the outlook ap- 
peared dark indeed. This was more true of Virginia 
than of any other state in the Confederacy, for Virginia 
had been the field of more battles and the ground for 
more of the military operations than any other state. 

For four long years the opposing armies had en- 
camped and marched in her territory. Her farms had 
been stripped of provisions and cattle, and her towns 
despoiled of commerce and factories. The railroads 
were in bad repair, and the newly built turnpikes and 
roads had become filled with wagon ruts. Thousands 
of the best citizens, plantation owners, farmers, mer- 
chants, doctors, lawyers, and artisans, had been killed, 
and those who remained were worn out by the terrible 
hardships they had endured. Many of them were crip- 
pled or not fit to work because of their wounds. Others 
had never been accustomed to work in the fields and 
were ill-prepared to undertake the raising of crops by 
their own hands. The slaves Avho had done their work 
and in whom they had invested large portions of their 
wealth, were now free to do as thej^ pleased, and in 



300 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



their ignorance of what freedom meant, many of them 
refused to work for wages, or worked so irregularly 
that their services could not be depended upon. Some 
of them, on the other hand, remained faithful to their 




LYNCHBURG IN WAR TIME 

former owners, and the widows and children of many 
Virginians who had fallen in battle were saved from 
starvation by their former slaves. 

The Poverty of the People. — The lack of workers for 
farm and factory was only one reason for discourage- 
ment. Hardly any cattle, horses, mules, sheep, or swine 
were left by the armies during the war. There was not 



SCHOOL HISTOBT OF VIBGINIA 301 

only no one to guide the plow, but no means of plowing. 
The fields had been allowed to rnn to weeds; fences 
were gone ; stables and barns were either destroyed or 
in need of repair; homes were dilapidated and despoil- 
ed; farm implements and machinery lacked attention 
or had been destroyed ; and worse even than these, there 
was no money. Slaves could no longer be sold to ob- 
tain funds, for the money invested in slaves had been 
destroyed by one stroke of Lincoln's pen. The sav- 
ings of the people had been used up in the struggle to 
exist at home Avhile fathers and brothers were away, 
and had disappeared entirely when the fall of the Con- 
federacy made Confederate currency worthless. The 
lack of money meant that repairs could not be made, 
wages could not be paid to employ labor, and livestock 
could not be replaced on the farms, while many of the 
factories and business houses were banlcrupt and idle. 
The Amount of Losses in Virginia. — While it is im- 
possible to put a value on the men who lost their lives 
and who were crippled, it has been estimated that the 
war cost the Virginia people not less than a quarter of 
a billion dollars. The state itself lost over $26,000,000 
in canal and railroad improvements besides several mil- 
lion dollars in roads and bridges, and had spent millions 
to aid in keeping the armies in the field. The people 
lost, it was estimated, not less than $150,000,000 by the 
emancipation of the slaves, and fully half of what they 
possessed in other forms of property — a loss which was 
estimated at not less than $50,000,000. But these figures 
do not show the greatest loss. This was the loss of power, 
through the lack of workers, both white and negro, the 
destruction of property, and the absence of money to 
produce food and to replace the property that was gone. 



302 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

The ' ' Carpet-baggers. ' ' — Thus the situation must 
have seemed desperate indeed. To make it worse, if 
possible, adventurers from the North and from Europe 
flocked into Virginia to take advantage of the oppor- 
tunities to buy land cheaply and to gain prominence 
for themselves by teaching irresponsible and ignorant 
negroes to vote. These "carpet-baggers," as they were 
called, made the situation almost unbearable for the 
white people of Virginia and were hated and despised. 
So hopeless was the outlook that hundreds of white 
people left Virginia after selling or abandoning their 
farms, and went to the western states. But many more 
bravely stayed, undergoing serious privations and dis- 
appointments, and making the best of things by work- 
ing hard to reclaim their homes and land and to sup- 
port their families. 

General Lee's Example. — In patience and calmness in 
bitter adversity, in faithfulness to his state and in hope- 
fulness. General Lee set as great an example after the 
war was over as he had done in the years of hardships 
and sacrifice during the war. Although he was offered 
positions where his name would have brought him a 
high salary, he declined to profit by the fame that had 
come to him as the leader of the Confederate forces. 
He advised those who had fought under him to return 
to their homes, to submit to the new authority that the 
outcome of the war had placed upon them, and to remain 
as loyal to the future of Virginia as they had been to 
her past. 

General Lee's Choice. — From all the many opportu- 
nities that were open to him, he chose the one in which 
he believed he could do the most good. This was in the 
presidency of Washington College in Lexington. The 
college was a small one, and during the war it had almost 
had to be closed because its students had enlisted as Con- 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 



303 



federate soldiers. When the war was over, it was with- 
out a president, its students were ahnost gone, its build- 
ings dilapidated, and its future very doubtful. The 
trustees, after considering the situation for some time, 
decided to offer the presidency to General Lee. They 
hardly dared hope for a favorable answer, since they 




AVASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY, LEXINGTON 



feared what they had to offer was insignificant in com- 
parison with the other opportunities that were open to 
the great leader. To their surprise, General Lee accept- 
ed their offer because he felt that he could thus help 
to influence the young men of Virginia and the South 
to build up their homes, and train themselves for use- 
fulness in their own land. He was not mistaken, for 



304 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

hundreds of former soldiers aud other young men 
flocked to the little college Avhere they could be educat- 
ed under his supervision. At the quiet little town of 
Lexington, General Lee remained until his death in 
1870, devoting all his time and energies to his new 
work. He outlined plans for the college immediately 
after taking charge and shaped its course of study so 
as to benefit to the greatest possible degree the young 
men who had gathered there. He was as honored and 
revered by his students as he had been by his soldiers. 
His body was placed in a mausoleum in the rear of the 
college chapel he had built on the campus. 



QUEST roxs. 

Into what two periods is Virginia history since the Civil 

War divided"? 

What reasons did the people have for discouragement just 

after the war? 

Tell about the poverty of the people during this period. 

What losses had the war caused in Virginia? 

Who were the "carpet-baggers'?" What caused many people 

to leave Virginia? 

What did General Lee advise the people to do? 

What did he decide to do? Why? Where is he buried? 

SOME LEADING EVENTS. 



REPAIR AND RESTORATION. 

The Assembly of 1869-1870.— Although the conven- 
tion which framed the new constitution was composed 
of more Radicals than Conservatives, many of the most 
radical proposals were voted down after the Conserva- 
tives had become active in arousing the white Demo- 
crats throughout the state. The Conservatives con- 
tinued their campaign after the convention ended and 
until the election of members of the Senate and the 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 305 

House of Delegates to form the first General Assembly 
under the new constitution. The result was that when 
the Assembly met, the conservative Republicans and 
Democrats were in the majority, and could vote down 
the proposals of those radical Republicans and negroes 
who had been elected by the efforts of "carpet-bag- 
gers." 

This Assembly had the important work of organizing 
the state government according to the new constitution. 
The two greatest tasks were the establishment of a pub- 
lie school system and paying the state debt. Besides 
these, laws were passed providing for the levying and 
collecting of taxes, several state officers were named 
and judges were aiDpointed. The Assembly also estab- 
lished a lunatic asylum for negroes near Richmond to 
take care of insane negroes who at this time were con- 
fined in county jails. In slavery days insane negroes 
were very few in number and were taken care of by 
their masters. 

Later Assemblies, 1870-1880. — The succeeding Assem- 
blies between 1870 and 1880 continued the work of or- 
ganizing the state government and of providing for 
new officers and boards, but the debt question became 
of so great importance that all other matters were put 
aside. The first plan of dealing with the debt, as we 
shall see, was so expensive that there was little money 
available for the schools and other departments of the 
state government. Virginia had to wait for nearly 
thirty years before she was able to provide for better 
health regulations, better schools, the encouragement 
of better farming, and other measures so necessary for 
the welfare of her people. 

The Capitol Disaster. 1870. — Sixty-five people were 
killed and about 200 were injured, some of them serf- 



306 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIEGINIA 

ously, in the collapse of a floor in the state capitol at 
Richmond. A large audience had gathered in the Court 
of Appeals room, which was on the third floor of the 
building, to hear a decision in a case in which much 
interest was being taken at that time. The case was 
as to whether the law passed by the General Assembly 
to allow the people of Richmond to elect a mayor was in 
violation of the new constitution. Henry H. Ellyson had 
been elected mayor, but George Gaboon who had been 
appointed by the United' States military authorities, 
claimed that the law was not valid. While the decision 
was being read, the floor gave way and the audience 
plunged down amid falling timbers and furniture into 
the House of Delegates chamber below. 

The Railroads After the War. — There were about 
1,350 miles of railroads in Virginia when the Civil War 
began in 1861, and new railroads were being planned to 
connect eastern and central Virginia with the western 
part of Virginia and the western states. During the war 
and the Reconstruction period they fell into bad repair, 
and many miles of track had been destroyed by the 
troops. What was left had been nearly worn out because 
neither the state nor the companies owning the railroads 
had any funds to renew the ties, rails, and wires. The 
poverty of the Virginia people after the war and the 
absence of a state government until 1869 prevented any- 
thing being done for several years after the war ended. 

As we saw when we were studying the history of in- 
ternal improvements between 1830 and 1860, the state 
owned a large share in most of the railroads, because the 
state government had contributed much of the money to 
build them. Nearly all of the money thus contributed 
was borrowed, and the building of railroads had greatly 
increased the state debt. The new constitution adopted 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 307 

in 1869, however, forbade the state to borrow any money 
or to contribute any money to internal improvements. 
The railroads therefore had to look for funds from other 
sources. 

James River and Kanawha Canal Abandoned. — On 
the eve of the Civil War, it will be remembered, the State 
of Virginia had made a bargain with a French company 
to give up all rights to the James River and Kanawha 
Canal on certain conditions, but the beginning of hostil- 
ities prevented the contract from being carried out. The 
canal was used during the war, and the company owning 
it was able to keep it repaired sufficiently to allow navi- 
gation by packet and freight boats until about 1880. In 
1873, the state, after having spent on the canal before 
the war over $10,000,000, gave up all claims upon 
the canal and the James River and Kanawha Company. 
Later the General Assembly incorporated the Richmond 
and Alleghany Railroad Company, authorizing it to pur- 
chase the property of the canal company and to use it 
as a railroad bed. 

In 1880 the property was thus sold and a railroad was 
soon built on, the tow-path of the old canal which 
George Washington had first suggested. This road was 
built from Richmond to Clifton Forge, where it con- 
nected with the Chesapeake and Ohio, and along the old 
branch canal to Lexington. The road is now the James 
River branch of the Chesapeake and Ohio. 

Commodore Maury's "Survey." — The willingness of 
Northern and European men of wealth to invest money 
in Virginia railroads after the war was largely brought 
about by Commodore Matthew Fontaine Maury, who 
wrote a book in 1868 entitled "A Physical Survey of Vir- 
ginia. ' ' This book told of the great natural resources in 
Virginia, and of the possibilities in commerce, manufac- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF I'lEGINlA 



turing, and mining. It convinced capitalists that the 
building of railroads would open up these possibilities, 
because it was a careful, truthful statement of the facts 

by a man who was 
I known all over the 
world for his 
achievements as a 
scientist, geogra- 
pher, and naviga- 
tor. Maury was 
known as the 
"Pathfinder of the 
Seas." He had in- 
vented many valu- 
able devices in 
navigation and was 
the author of sev- 
eral scientific 
treatises. He had 
been honored by 
scientific societies 
both in this coun- 
try and abroad, 
and after render- 
ing valuable ser- 
vice to the Confed- 
erate cause during 
the Civil War, was at this time a professor at the Vir- 
ginia Military Institute. His ' ' Survey ' ' was widely read 
and resulted in millions of dollars being loaned to Vir- 
ginia railroads, thus aiding in their repairing and re- 
building at a time when the prospects were very gloomy. 




MATTHEW F. MAURY 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 309 



QUESTIONS. 

1. 'i'ell something of the work of the first Assembly under the 
new constitution. 

2. What was the work of the Assemblies between 1870 and 
1880? 

3. What great disaster occurred in Richmond in 1870? 

4. What was the condition of the railroads after the war? 

5. When and why was the James River and Kanawha Canal 
abandoned? Tell about the sale of the property. 

6. What was Commodore Maury's "Survey"? 



PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT. 

State Board of Health Created, 1872.— The State 
Board of Health and Vital Statistics was created by the 
General Assembly in 1872, to consist of seven physicians 
appointed by the governor. This was the first time Vir- 
ginia provided a means for caring for the health of her 
citizens, except by occasional laws requiring vaccination. 
The new board was required to assist local health boards, 
to study the causes and prevention of disease, and to pro- 
vide a method for getting statistics of diseases, deaths 
and births. In 1874 county boards of health were also 
created. Later on, between 1880 and 1890, a board of 
medical examiners to give examinations to those who 
wanted to practice medicine, a board of pharmacy, and 
a board of dentistry were created. After 1890 provision 
was made for a board of embalmers and a board of ex- 
aminers of graduate nurses. Many laws, recommended 
by these boards, to prevent disease and to improve health 
conditions have been passed. After the constitution of 
1902 was adopted, there was created a department of 
public health. 

Virginia Polytechnic Institute Established, 1872. — 
With the assistance of the F^ederal government, the Vir- 
ginia Polytechnic Institute was opened in 1872 for the 



31U SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

purpose of training young men in mechanics, science, 
and agriculture. Ten years before, Congress appropri- 
ated money received, from the sale of public lands to 
establish in every state an institution of this kind. After 



VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, BLACKSBURG. 
(Photograph by J. B. Foglemaii, Blacksburg, Va.) 

the Civil War ended, members of the General Assembly 
and a number of people from the southwest section of 
Virginia offered the buildings and grounds of a school 
at Blacksburg known as the Olin Institute to the Federal 
government, and Montgomery County agreed to give 
$20,000 if the new institute should be established there. 
The offer was accepted, Virginia's share of the public 
lands money was turned over to the state, and the Vir- 
ginia Polytechnic Institute was started.* 

Virginia's share of the public lands money yields 
about $30,000 annuall3^ Further appropriations by Con- 
gress were made in 1890 and 1907, which in 1913 yielded 
$75,000 annually. Thus in all over $105,000 is every 

*Por many years it was called the Virginia Agricultural and Mechani- 
cal College. 



SCHOOL HISTOBT OF VIRGINIA 311 

year now available. Of this amount, however, one-third 
must go to a school for colored people, which gives very- 
much the same kind of training as does the V. P. I. 
This school is the Hampton Normal and Industrial In- 
stitute, which was established at Hampton. 

First State Department of Agriculture, 1877. — 
Although Edmund Ruffin, the first "scientific" farmer 
in Virginia, had organized the Virginia State Agricul- 
tural Society in 1843 and was made Commissioner of 
Agriculture iii 1854, the state had never appropriated 
any money for better farming until 1877 when the State 
Department of Agriculture was created. This new de- 
partment was under the direction of a commissioner of 
agriculture, who was permitted to appoint a geologist 
and a chemist. Their duties were to examine soils and 
fertilizers, and to study questions relating to farming, 
tfruit growing, dairying, and sheep raising. In 1888 a 
board of agriculture and immigration was created to 
manage the department. 

Centennial at Yorktown. — The year 1881 marked the 
one-hundredth anniversary of the surrender of Corn- 
wallis, and the occasion was celebrated with a brilliant 
military and naval review at Yorktown. The United 
States sent hundreds of soldiers and many of its finest 
warships, and the celebration lasted nearly a week. 
Thousands of visitors came from all over Virginia and 
from other states. The nations of Europe sent special 
representatives, and some of the descendants of the 
French and German officers who were with Washing- 
ton at the siege of Yorktown were also present. 

Virginia Experiment Station, 1888. — Congress in 1887 
also appropriated $30,000 a year for an Agricultural Ex- 
periment Station in each state for the purpose of having 
the soils analyzed and of finding out how to stop diseases 



312 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIBGINIA 

of plants and animals and how to obtain larger, and 
better crops. The General Assembly in 1888 made the 
station a part of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and 
later began giving the station $5,000 a year to publish 
bulletins. These bulletins tell the results of the experi- 
ments made and give advice to the farmers as to how 
to raise better crops and stock, and are sent out all over 
the state. 

First Electric Street Cars, 1888.— To Richmond be- 
longs the distinction of being the first city in America 
to have street cars operated by electricity. The first 
line was begun on Clay Street in 1887 in Richmond and 
finished in the following year. Previous to that time 
street cars Avere pulled chiefly by horses and mules, 
although cables were used in some cities. Nearly all 
the larger towns in Virginia, Lynchburg, Norfolk, Peters- 
burg, and Richmond, had the old style ''horse cars" on 
tracks in their principal streets. Many of them retained 
the horse cars until electric trolleys were put in between 
1890 and 1900. 

"Boom Times," and the "Panic" of 1893.— From 
1890 to 1893 the people of the entire country were 
too anxious to become prosperous quickly and became 
reckless in starting up new industries. More industries 
were established than were needed to produce the articles 
required by the people, and in starting these enterprises 
large sums of money were borrowed from those who had 
savings. 

In Virginia, many of these enterprises were started. 
Most of them were encouraged by land companies. A 
feeling of hopefulness led Virginians to believe that the 
time was soon coming when towns and cities would grow 
up everywhere. In almost everv^ village and town land 
companies were formed, nearby fields were bought and 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 313 

mapped out into streets and lots, the lots to be sold at 
high prices, in the belief that people would come to buy 
and live. Companies were formed to manufacture all 
sorts of articles, and fine hotels were built in anticipa- 
tion of the population that was expected. Farmers mort- 
gaged and sold their farms and thousands of other 
people took their savings of years to buy lots in the new 
*' cities" and shares in the new industries. These were 
the "Boom Times" of 1890 to 1893 when people were ap- 
parently crazy over great "prospects," each anxious 
to have a part in the sudden wealth and prosperity that 
they believed was coming to Virginia. 

The trouble was that there was no real reason for 
being so confident. The people were misled by designing 
promoters, who were interested only in selling lots. So 
that when the "Panic" came in 1893, the great schemes 
and plans for factories and towns proved to be nothing 
but "castles in the air." The land companies failed, as 
did most of the others, and the money invested in them 
was lost, leaving the people much poorer than before and 
greatly discouraged. 

Virginians and the War With Spain, 1898. — The sym- 
pathy of the American people was ai'oused over the 
cruel treatment of the Cubans by their Spanish masters. 
When the American battleship Maine was mysteriously 
blown up in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, the feeling 
against Spain became so strong that war was declared 
in 1898. Although the Virginia people had once 
fought against the American flag, they heartily joined 
in Avith their Northern brothers against the enemy of 
the nation. Militia companies were formed in every 
city in Virginia, and thousands of young men prepared 
themselves to fight under the Stars and Stripes in 
Cuba. Many of them did see fighting in Cuba and in 



314 SCHOOL HISrOBY OF VIRGINIA 

the Philippines, and distinguished themselves for 
their bravery, but the war was so soon over that most 
of the Virginia troops did not have a chance to take 
part. 

The man who was the representative of the United 
States at Havana when the Maine was blown up was 
General Fitzhugh Lee, Avho had distinguished himself 
in the Civil War. In spite of the dangers and the ex- 
citement in Havana at the time, he kept cool and ad- 
vised the Americans to act fairly and carefully. 

The Constitutional Convention of 1900-1901. — Since 
1870 the people of Virginia had been living under the 
constitution which had been framed by a convention 
controlled by white Radicals and negro Republicans. 
While the Conservatives of 1868 and 1869 had been able 
to prevent anything very obnoxious and dangerous to 
their beliefs and manner of living from being made a 
part of this important document and had lived under 
its provisions for thirty years, there were many pro- 
visions which needed to be changed because they were 
not suited to the newer times. A call for a convention 
was made, delegates were elected, and in 1900 the work 
of framing a new constitution was begun. John Goode, 
of Bedford County, was elected president, and among 
the members of the convention were some of the ablest 
men in the state. 

Some Important Changes. — The chief matters discuss- 
ed were the right to vote, taxation, public schools, and 
the regulation of railroads and other corporations. The 
question of how to prevent ignorant people, among 
whom were many negroes, from voting, occupied a 
great deal of attention. Finally a provision, as drawn 
up by Carter Glass, of Lynchburg, was adopted without 
much change. This required all except former Con- 



SCHOOL EISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 315 

federate and Union soldiers to pay six months before 
an election poll taxes for the three previous years and 
to be able to tell the meaning of the constitution, 
before being allowed to vote. The result has been 
that a number of whites and thousands of negroes 
unwilling and unable to pay their poll taxes and unable 
to read or write are no longer voters. The convention 
also provided that changes in the methods of taxation 
could be made in 1913, and made some changes in the 
public school system. To regulate railroads, steamship 
lines, electric lines and corporations, the convention 
proposed that a new body, the State Corporation Com- 
mission, should be created. 

The constitution was adopted in 1902. Since then 
amendments to it have been passed allowing the city 
and county treasurers and commissioners of the revenue 
to hold office for more than one term, and permitting 
cities to change their forms of government as their cit- 
izens might think best. 

The Jamestown Exposition, 1907. — Exactly three 
hundred years after the first permanent colony of white 
m6n was established at Jamestown in 1607, a great ex- 
position was held near Norfolk on Hampton Roads to 
commemorate the event. Nearly all the states of the 
Union contributed to the exposition, and the largest fleet, 
composed of war ships from nearly every nation in the 
world, which had ever assembled in the Western Hemis- 
phere, gathered in the harbor. Virginia, as the mother 
state and as the first of the thirteen colonies, was the 
center of the occasion. Tn spite of the fact that the 
delay on the part of the United States government in 
completing its share of the exhibits somewhat marred 
it, the celebration and exposition was one of the most 
unique and beautiful ever held. General Fitzhugh Lee 



316 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

was elected president of the exposition, but after his 
death in 1906, Harry St. George Tucker was made 
president, 

QUESTIONS. 

1. Tell about the establishment of the State Board of Health. 

2. Give account of the establishment of the Virginia Polytechnic 
Institute. 

3. When was the State Department of Agriculture created? Who 
was Edmund Ruffin? 

4. What was the Yorktown Centennial? 

5. When and where was the Virginia Experiment Station estab- 
lished? 

6. When and where were the first electric street cars operated? 

7. What were the "Boom Times"? What was the "Panic" of 
1893? Wliat caused it? 

8. Give an account of the part taken by Virginians in the war 
with Spain. 

9. Tell about the constitutional convention of 1900-1901. 

10. What were the chief matters discussed in this convention? 

11. What event was celebrated by the Jamestown Exposition? 



THE INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT DEBT. 

Virginia's Debt of $45,000,000 in 1870.— In our study 
of Virginia's history before the Civil War, it was shown 
that the people with the help of the state government 
undertook a large number of expensive internal improve- 
ments in the form of railroads, turnpikes, canals, bridges, 
and making rivers navigable. Between 1784 and 1861 
nearly $70,000,000 was spent on these improvements. 
A large part of this amount was furnished by the peo- 
ple in subscriptions to the stock of the companies formed 
to undertake the improvements, but over half of it was 
furnished by the state government. Most of the part 
contributed by the state was borrowed by means of sell- 
ing its promises to pay at later dates, these promises be- 
ing called "bonds," on which the state had to pay inter- 
est. The state had also agreed, when borrowing this 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 317 

money, to set aside a certain amount, called a "sinking 
fund," each year until there was enough to pay it back. 

This debt in 1860 amounted to about $30,000,000. Dur- 
ing the ten years of war and reconstruction, the state 
government had not been able to pay any interest to the 
holders of its* bonds nor had it been able to set aside a 
sinking fund. By 1870, therefore, the whole debt, in- 
cluding the unpaid interest for the ten years, had grown 
to about $45,000,000. Thus in addition to the other 
discouragements and trials, the people had to face the 
burden of this great debt. 

West Virginia's Share of the Debt. — When the Gen- 
eral Assembly first met in 1869, one of the most press- 
ing things to be done was to provide for some means of 
dealing with the debt. After much discussion the As- 
sembly in 1870 decided to undertake to pay only two- 
thirds of the debt, leaving the other third ($15,000,000) 
to be paid by West Virginia. This was done because the 
money had been borrowed by the people of Virginia be- 
fore the war, including not only what is now Virginia, 
but also that part of Virginia which was cut off to make 
a new state, and because much of the money borrowed 
was for internal improvements to help the western sec- 
tion of old Virginia. In 1871 the Assembly decided to 
pay six per cent interest on almost all of the remaining 
two-thirds (about $30,000,000) to the holders of the 
bonds. 

Virginia Unable to Pay Six Per Cent. — It was soon 
seen, however, that there was not enough revenue from 
taxes to provide for this interest and to pay the ex- 
penses of the state government and of the public school 
sj'-stem which was being started. The total income of 
the state at this time was about $2,500,000 annually. 
Six per cent interest on $30,000,000 would be $1,800,000 



318 SCHOOL HIHTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

a year, to say nothing of providing for a sinking fund. 
This would leave little to pay for the schools and the 
state government. Taxes already ^Vere as high as the 
people could afford. What was to be done? 

Funders and Readjusters. — In spite of the difficulty, 
there were some who still favored paying* six per cent 
interest because they believed that it would be dishonor- 
able not to do so. Those who took this ground were 
called "Funders." Others pointed out that it was im- 
possible to keep the full promises made years ago, and 
that the only way open was to readjust the rate of in- 
terest and the debt, and pay only what the state could 
afford. Those who took this view of the problem were 
called "Readjusters." 

In the meantime the state needed money badly for 
expenses, for the charitable institutions, such as asy- 
lums, and for the state colleges and the public schools. 
The county jails were filled with lunatics because the 
asylums could not provide for them, and in 1878 and 
1879 many of the public schools had to be closed. The 
Assembly tried in every way to put off the payment of 
the interest on the debt, but could find no method of 
doing it without passing a new law. 

How the Interest Question Was Settled.— The Fund- 
ers, who were chiefly Democrats, now proposed that 
the holders of the bonds be asked to accept a lower rate 
of interest. In 1877, a Democratic governor, Frederick 
W. M. Holliday, who was a Funder, was elected, and 
the majority of the members of the Assembly were 
Funders. Two years later the holders of the bonds 
agreed to accept a lower rate of interest, and a new law 
was passed, known as the McCulloch Act. 

This law did not satisfy the Readjusters, however, 
because thev wanted not only a lower rate of interest 



SCHOOL niSTOET OF VIBGINIA 



319 



but also to pay no interest at all on part of the debt. 
In 1879 the whole question M^as fought over again, 
the Democrats and the Readjusters both trying to 
elect a majority of the members of the Assembly. The 

Readjusters were 

led by General 
William Mahone 
and H. H. Riddle- 
berger, and the 
Democrats by Gov- 
ernor Holliday and 
Major John W. 
Daniel.* When 
election day came, 
t h e Readjusters 
won, and in the 
next Assembly, 
succeeded in pass- 
ing a bill prepared 
b y Riddleberger. 
Governor Holliday 
vetoed it. It was 
now necessary for 
the Readjusters to 
elect a governor 
who would sign 

f-hp bill WILLIAM MAHONE 

In the fall of 1881 the time came for the election of a 
new governor. The Readjusters named for their can- 
didate William E. Cameron and the Democrats named 
Major Daniel. Mahone, one of the Readjuster leaders, 
persuaded a large number of negroes and Republicans 




'See Appendix A. 



320 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIBGINIA 



to vote for the Readjuster candidate, and Cameron was 
elected. 

The Readjuster Days. — The four years while Cam- 
eron was governor and the Readjusters were in the ma- 
jority in tlie Assembly, were known as the "Readjuster 

Days." The Riddle- 
berger bill was again 
passed, and this time 
it was not vetoed. It 
cut down the debt to 
$21,000,000 and the 
interest on it to three 
per cent. 

But by 1885 the bit- 
terness over the debt 
(|uestion had largely 
passed away. Gen- 
eral Mahone and 
Riddleberger became 
Republicans, and in 
that year the fight 
was between Demo- 
crats and Republi- 
cans. General Fitz- 
hugh Lee was the 
Democratic c a n d i - 
date for governor, 
and John S. Wise, a son of Henry A. Wise, was the Re- 
publican candidate. Lee was elected, as well as a ma- 
jority of Democrats in the Assembly. The Democrats 
had promised, however, to let the Riddleberger law 
stay unchanged. 

The Settlement of the Debt.— In 1890, the holders of 
Virginia bonds, wlio lived chiefly in New York and in 




JOHN W. DANIEL 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 321 

England, offered to make a final settlement. An arrange- 
ment was made to issue new bonds for most of the old 
ones and to make provisions for paying off the bonds. 
Every year now the State of Virginia pays off some of 
these bonds by setting aside annually one-half of one 
per cent of the entire debt. In time the whole debt 
will be paid. 

West Virginia for many years refused to pay her 
share of the debt. Virginia offered in 1894, 1900, and 
1905 to make a settlement with the new state, but 
each time West Virginia refused to accede to any re- 
quest. The holders of the West Virginia bonds then 
asked the State of Virginia to sue West Virginia for 
the debt with the interest, none of which had been 
paid, and in 1906 suit was begun in the Supreme Court 
of the United States. After several years had been 
spent in studying what West Virginia owed and in ex- 
amining the claims of both sides, the Supreme Court 
decided in favor of Virginia. 



oite«;tionr. 

1. What was Virginia's debt in 18701 How was this debt made? 

2. Why has an effort been made to get West Virginia to pay a 
part of this debt? 

3. Who were knoAvn as Punders? Who as Readjusters '? 

4. Who were the leaders of the Funders? Who were the lead- 
ers of the Readjusters? 

5. When did the Readjusters come into power in Virginia? 

6. What attempts have been made to settle the debt! 



POLITICAL PARTIES IN VIRGINIA SINCE 1869. 

How Parties Were Divided.— In 1869 and 1870, as 
we have seen, the people of Virginia were divided in 
their politics on the question of whether the negroes 
and the carpet-baggers should rule, into Radicals and 



322 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

Conservatives. Later on, we saw that they were di- 
vided on the debt question into Democrats, who were 
also Fnnders, and Readjusters, from 1871 to 1885. 
Since that time, the principal divisions have been be- 
tween Democrats and Republicans and on much the 
same (juestions as the people of the nation are divided. 

The Democrats, with the election of "Fitz" Lee as gov- 
ernor, came into control in 1885, and have been in con- 
trol ever since. In 1889 Mahone, who had been made 
United States Senator from Virginia in the Readjuster 
days, was the Republican candidate for governor, but 
he was defeated by the Democratic candidate, Philip 
S. McKinney. In 1893 Charles T. O'Ferrall, a Demo- 
crat, Avas elected governor, and in 1897 J. Hoge Tyler, 
a Democrat, was. elected governor. 

The Repu1)liean opposition by this time was not very 
great, and before election time the people of the state 
were interested chiefly in whom the Democrats would 
choose for their candidate, since it went without saying 
that their candidate would be elected. In 1901 there 
was an exciting contest between Andrew Jackson Mon- 
tague and Claude A. SAvanson for the Democratic nom- 
ination for governor. In those days the Democrats 
chose their candidate in a big state convention, and the 
convention of 1901 uamed Montague. He Avas elected 
governor Avithout much opposition. 

Primary Elections Begun. — Many people did not like 
choosing candidates by conventions, and in 1901 the 
Democrats decided that in the future they would hold 
"primary" elections among themselves before the reg- 
ular election, to choose their candidates. 

The first primary, as: a primary election is called, 
was held in 1903, to elect Democratic candidates for the 
House of Delegates and local officers. At first viva 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 323 

voce voting-, the method used in Virginia from early 
days, was employed. In viva voce voting each person 
as he voted, called out aloud who he wanted to be elect- 
ed. Many voters did not like to do this because they 
feared they would offend neighbors and friends who 
wanted some other man to be elected. This caused a 
large number of voters to stay away from the election 
places, or polls. In 1905, a system of secret voting, 
known as the Australian system, because it was first 
used in Australia, was adopted and has been used ever 
since. 

Elections, 1905 to 1910. — AVhen the time came for 
the election of a governor again, in 1905, Claude A. 
Swanson, who had been defeated by Montague four years 
before, was again a candidate in the Democratic pri- 
marj' for election. He was at that time a member of 
Congress from the Fifth district. He was opposed by 
former Judge "William Hodges Mann, then a state Sen- 
ator and the author of the Mann temperance law, and 
by Captain Joseph E. Willard. Swanson was nominated 
by a large vote and was elected easily over his Republi- 
can opponent. 

Tn 1909, there were only two candidates for the 
Democratic nomination in the primary. Judge Mann 
was again a candidate, and he was opposed by former 
Congressman Harry St. George Tucker. Mann was 
nominated by a small majority over Tucker and was 
afterwards elected without much opposition over the 
Republican nominee. 

Governor Stuart's Election. — In 1913, there was but 
one candidate for the Democratic nomination for gov- 
ernor. He was Henry C. Stuart of Russell County and 
he was nominated without opposition. The Republicans 
did not have anv candidate, and the Socialist and Social- 



324 SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 

ist-Labor candidates received very few votes. Stuart 
was thus elected almost without opposition, and he be- 
came governor with less opposition than any candidate 
since the Civil War. He was inaugurated with brilliant 
ceremony in January, 1914, having been given practi- 
cally the unanimous support of all the people of the 
state, and the good will and wishes of all factions. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Name the political parties that have existed in Virginia at 
various periods since the Civil War, 

2. When did the Democrats come into control of the state gov- 
ernment again? Who was their candidate for governor? 
Who was the Republican candidate? 

3. When were primary elections first held in Virginia? 

4. Tell about elections from 1905 to 1910. 

5. Who was elected governor in 1913? What is said of his 
election? 



THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. 

ITS ESTABLISHMENT. 

Jefferson's Ideas Realized. — Thomas Jefferson's plan 
of a public school system for the education of all the 
white children in the state, beginning with county pri- 
mary schools and through intermediate schools to a state 
university, was, as we have seen, only partly completed 
before the Civil War. 

In our study of the schools in the ante-bellum days 
we saw, how^ever, that the people of central and w^est- 
ern Virginia had often asked the General Assembly to 
provide public schools for all white children, and that 
the idea had grown in favor as time went on, until just 
before the war began there was a wide movement for 
a state public school system. It was not a new thing, 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 325 

therefore, in the convention which met to draw up a 
new constitution in 1868, and nearly every member 
favored it. Some of the Radicals, composed of carpet- 
baggers and negroes, wanted to force both white and 
negro children to attend the same school, but even some 
of the Radicals opposed this and, with the Conserva- 
tives, voted down the proposal. When the constitution 
was adopted in 1869, it provided for a state public school 
system and separate schools for white and colored chil- 
dren. Although the Assembly of 1869-1870 was con- 
trolled by Conservatives, it obeyed the constitution and 
passed laws for organizing the system. 

Ruffner, the First State Superintendent, 1870-1882.— 
There were a number of applicants for the position of 
State Superintendent of Public Instruction when the As- 
sembly of 1869-1870 met, but William Henry Ruffner* 
was urged for the place by Robert E. Lee, then presi- 
dent of Washington College, and was unanimously 
elected. Next to Jefferson himself, Ruffner did more 
for public education in Virginia than any one man in 
the history of the state. He had the hard task of 
starting the school system without enough money and 
with much opposition, during a time when politics and 
the debt question made it difficult to get the attention 
and sup]>ort of the people. 

Opposition to Public Schools. — There was opposition 
from three sources to the public schools. First, by the 
people of the eastern section of the state and by the 
wealthier classes of people all over the state, the free 
schools M^ere looked upon in the same way that "char- 
ity" schools were regarded before the war. It was felt 
by many parents that to send their children to the pub- 
lic schools meant confessing that they were too poor 

*See Appendix A. 



326 SCHOOL HISTORF OF VIRGINIA 

to pay for tuition. The public schools were looked upon 
as schools for the ** common" people, where the child- 
ren of cultured, educated parents would have to asso- 
ciate with the children of uncultured and ignorant peo- 
ple. Thus both pride and prejudice existed. 

Opposition to free schools also came from several 
religious denominations because it was believed by 
many that the churches ought to educate the children 
according to their own religious beliefs as well as 
their own notions of education. A number of church 
schools were started up, chiefly academies, to prepare 
young men for the church colleges, and seminaries for 
young ladies. A third kind of opposition came from 
some who favored public schools biit who felt that the 
state was not financially able to establish such a system 
and ought not to undertake it at that time. 

Public Schools Started. — The decision to pay a high 
rate of interest on the state debt took over half of the 
revenue of the state, and left on!}'- a little over half a 
million dollars a year for schools. With this sum, over 
2,900 school houses were opened, with 130,000 pupils, 
38,500 of whom were colored, and with 3,000 teachers, 
nearly 500 of whom were colored. Nearly all the 
schools were one-room schools and 1,725 of them were 
taught in log cabins. No new school houses were built 
until 1875, the public schools being taught in houses 
formerly used by private and ''old field" schools and 
in vacant cabins or rooms. 

For the next few years, until 1879, there was available 
for the public schools nearly a million dollars a year, 
but the number of pupils enrolled had also nearly dou- 
bled. The first year the public schools were opened, the 
average length of the term was less than five months. 
By careful management, Ruffner succeeded in lengthen- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF vrRGINIA 327 

ing the terra nearly three weeks by 1877. In 1879, how- 
ever, there was a "starving time" for the schools. The 
amount of money available was cut in half by the pay- 
ments of interest on the debt, and half of the schools 
could not be opened at all. The Readjusters came into 
power soon after that, however, and the amount of 
money which could be used for the schools gradually in- 
creased because the debt payments were made less and 
the revenue from taxes grew larger. 

A Period of Poor Schools, 1882-1902.— Ruffner re- 
tired in 1882 after having served twelve years as State 
Superintendent of Public Instruction. He left for his 
successor a greater opportunity than he had ever had 
to improve the schools. The opposition to the public 
school from all sources was slowly dying out and each 
year there was more money available from the state. 

In some counties where there were good coimty super- 
intendents, the schools were improved, and in nearly 
all the cities progress was made. As a general rule, 
however, there was no one to guide the school system. 

These conditions lasted for over twenty years, and 
the people came actually to believe that the schools 
they had were good enough. The state spent only 
about $1.30 a year on each child who went to school 
regularly. As late as 1900 nearly twelve hundred of the 
school buildings were log houses. The average salary 
paid men teachers in 1882 was only $29.47 a month for 
less than six months in a year; in 1900 men teachers 
were paid on an average only three dollars more a month 
for six months. The women teachers, on an average, re- 
ceived $25.61 a month in 1882 ; in 1900 they were getting 
only about fifty cents a month more. In 1882 there were 
more men teachers than women ; in 1900 there were con- 
siderablv over twice as many women teachers as men. 



328 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIBGINIA 

Except in the larger cities, no high schools with a four 
year course existed, although in about thirty graded 
schools in 1900 some high school branches were taught. 
The result was that the colleges and universities in the 
state had to take students who were unprepared and it 
was impossible for the higher institutions to have en- 
trance requirements. 



QUESTIONS. 

"What were Jefferson's ideas about education in Virginia? 

When was the present public school system established? 

Who was the first state superintendent? What may be 

said of his work? 

How were the public schools looked upon at first? Tell 

something about the opposition to public schools. 

Give some account of the number of teachers and pupils, 

and the buildings in use during the first few years after 

1870. 

What is said of the schools in Virginia from 1882 to 1902? 

Name some of the ways in which your school is better than 

these early schools. Ask your teacher to tell you about 

the school she attended. 



THE EDUCATIONAL AWAKENING. 

The Revival of Education. — Toward 1900, however, 
it was realized by a number of men and women in Vir- 
ginia that the schools must be improved so that -the 
people of the state could be better prepared for work 
and citizenship. In 1902, Harry St. George Tucker, the 
son of Congressman John Randolph Tucker who had 
been a famous teacher of law in the Washington and Lee 
Tlniversity, and Dr. Robert Frazer, were selected by the 
Southern Education Board to make speeches all through 
the state urging the people to have better schools. This 
they did effectively for eighteen months. The teachers 
themselves took part in the movement and, under the 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 339 

leadership of R. C. Stearnes, then the president of the 
State Teachers' Association, planned methods by v\diich 
they could improve their own work and preparation for 
teaching. 

Co-operative Education Commission. — In 1904, as the 
result of a meeting in Norfolk, a number of men and 
women who had become thoroughly interested in the 
cause of better schools, formed, with Governor Monta- 
gue's aid, the Virginia Co-operative Education Commis- 
sion Avith Dr. S. C. Mitchell as its head. Under Dr. 
Mitchell's active leadership, the commission planned a 
great campaign throughout the state and set forth the 
following "platform" or list of objects they sought to 
accomplish : 

Nine months ' schooling for every child ; high schools 
within reasonable distance of every child; well trained 
teachers; agricultural and industrial training; efficient 
supervision ; promotion of libraries ; schools for the de- 
fective and dependent, and citizens' educational asso- 
ciations in every county and city. 

One hundred speakers, educators, teachers, lawyers, 
and business men, were asked to aid in the campaign, 
among them being Governor Montague, President Alder- 
man of the University of Virginia and many other well 
known men. In May, 1905, this great campaign was 
made. Meetings were held in every county, the people 
were urged to take a greater interest in their schools, to 
pay more school taxes, and to help the teachers, and cit- 
izens associations were formed. The result was very 
encouraging. Education became one of the popular 
topics of the day, and in every section of the state num- 
bers of men and women were ready to aid in making 
the schools better. 



330 SCHOOL HlSTORy OF IIMGINIA 

J. D. Eggleston Elected Superintendent, 1905. — ^It 

was fortunate at this time, when the people of the state 
had begun to awaken to the need of better schools, that 
a man was chosen who could help them. In the fall of 
1905 Joseph D. Eggleston was elected State Superinten- 
dent of Public Instruction, a position which he filled with 
great success for nearly eight years. In 1912 he resigned 
to become connected with the United States Bureau of 
Education, and in 1913 he was elected president of the 
Virginia Polytechnic Institute. 

Superintendent Eggleston was aided by a number of 
men and women, both teachers and private citizens, in 
improving the schools. The campaign to arouse interest 
continued through his efforts and those of the Co-opera- 
tive Education Commission and the State Teachers' As- 
sociation. 

Educational Meetings. — Great meetings of all those 
who were interested in education were held once a year, 
the first in Lynchburg in 1905, the second in Richmond, 
the third in Roanoke, and thereafter in Richmond and 
Norfolk until 1913. when it met in Lynchburg. The 
county or division superintendents and school trustees 
formed associations and met at the same time, while the 
State Teachers' Association provided for separate meet- 
ings of primary teachers, grammar grade teachers, high 
school and college teachers, kindergarten teachers, etc., 
besides for conferences by subjects taught. The Co- 
operative Education Association, as it was later called, 
continued its work of getting the parents interested in 
the schools by forming citizens' school leagues for the 
purpose of erecting better buildings, beautifying school 
grounds, and paying higher salaries to teachers. 

In 1912, R. C. Steames, for a long time president of 
the State Teachers' Association and several years secre- 



SCHOOL EISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 331 

tary of the State Board of Education, was appointed 
State Superintendent to fill the unexpired term of Mr. 
Eggleston, and in 1913 he was elected for a term of four 
years. 

Some Results of the Educational Awakening. — In 
the ten years from 1904 to 1914, great progress was made 
in improving the schools as the result of the interest 
that had been aroused. Forty thousand more white 
children were enrolled in 1912 than in 1904, and about 
2,000 more colored children. The average length 
of the school session for the whole state was increased 
from six months to seven months. The total number of 
teachers increased from about 9,000 to over 11,000. The 
average monthly salary of male teachers was increased 
from $35.36 to $55.76, and of female teachers from 
$27.79 to $40.15. The money spent on each child actual- 
ly attending school was more than doubled, and the 
amount of money spent on the public schools of the 
state was increased from $2,245,000 to $5,617,000. 

Better School Buildings. — Nearly all the school 
houses are now owned by the districts, and the number 
of log houses is now very small. Every year over 200 
new buildings are erected, many of them large graded 
and high schools in the country. In Richmond, Roan- 
oke, Norfolk, Lynchburg, and other cities and towns, 
splendid large high schools have been built, in addition 
to many grammar and primary schools. The number of 
schools is smaller now than it was in 1904 because many 
of the one room schools in the country have been con- 
solidated, and graded schools containing several rooms 
have been erected. When it is too far for the children 
to walk, comfortable school wagons are provided to go 
from home to home in the morning, gathering up the 
children and hauling them to the new central schools, 



332 .'<CHOOL JIISTOEY OF I'IBGINIA 



§d^M-. ..^. 



STATE FEMALE NORMAL SCHOOL, FARMVILLE 

and taking them back home in the afternoon. Thus 
the country children get the advantage of graded 
schools and high schools. 

Other Improvements. — There are high schools having 
four year courses in every city and in nearly every 
large town and county in the state. Most of the col- 
leges require all students to complete the high school 
course before they are allowed to enter. In each of the 
congressional districts, an agricultural high school has 
been established, and in many of the high schools a nor- 
mal course to prepare teachers has been put in. Special 
appropriations for high schools are made by the Gen- 
eral Assembly. 

Among other important results of the interest in the 
public schools are higher county taxes to provide more 
money for schools, the establishment of normal schools, 
libraries in schools, stricter requirements for teachers' 
certificates, and a teachers' pension fund. The schools 
have greatly helped and have been greatly helped by 
the better farming movement, and efforts are being 
made to establish industrial training. 

Normal Schools for Teachers. — The first normal 
school established was for colored teachers when the 
Readjusters were in power. This was the Virginia 
Normal and Industrial Institute, established at Peters- 
burg in 1882. Two years later the State Female Normal 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 333 

School Avas started at Farmville. >'''i-oni this school hun- 
dreds of trained women have gone to teach in the public 
schools and their work has resulted in a much higher 
standard of teaching. So valuable was this school, that 
in 1908 the General Assembly decided to establish three 
more normal schools for women. In 1909 the Harrison- 
burg Normal and Industrial Institute was opened in the 
Vallej^ section, and in 1911 the Fredericksburg Normal 
and Industrial School was opened in the eastern section. 
In 1914 the Radford Industrial and Normal School was 
opened for the southwest section. 

For men teachers, normal training is provided at 
William and Mary College and the University. A num- 
ber of men teachers are supplied by the Virginia Mili- 
tary Institute and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute. 
The private colleges also supply a number of men for 
teaching in the schools. Most of the men in the public 
schools are principals and teachers in the high schools. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Tell about the revival of education in Virginia. "Who were 
some of the leaders in this work? 

2. Who was made state superintendent in 1905? How long 
did he serve? 

3. Name some of the different educational meetings held by 
teachers. 

4. Tell about the results of the ' ' educational awakening. ' ' 

5. How have the school buildings been improved? 

6. What has been done in other ways to make the schools 
better? 

7. Where have normal schools been established for women? 
Which is the oldest? Where is normal training provided 
for men? 



VIRGINIA IN RECENT YEARS. 

The Making of History. — ^We have followed the his- 
tory of the Virginia people through more than three 
hundred years, from 1607, when the first permanent 



334 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

English colony in the New World was started at James- 
town, up to the present. The things that have taken 
place and that the people have believed and done are 
history; what they are believing and doing now is the 
making of history. So that to complete our story of the 
Virginia people, we must point out some of the more 
important things they have begun in recent years and 
are engaged in doing now. Ten, twenty, or a hundred 
years from now, what we are doing in Virginia will 
appear as history, just as what was done by Virginians 
in the past is called "history." "What sort of history are 
the Virginia people making to-day? 

Virginia in Recent Years. — Among the things that the 
people of Virginia have done and have begun to do in 
recent years are those which will. enable the people of 
future years to be more prosperous, happier and better. 
Better schools and roads, better farming, more comforta- 
ble conditions of work in factories, means of preventing 
diseases, the taking care of the helpless and the sick — 
these are some of the things that will help Virginia in 
the future. Moreover, already there are changes which 
show that Virginia has made great progress. Among 
these are prosperity in the towns and the cities, increas- 
ed crops on the farms, better health of the people, the 
leadership of Virginians in literature and in national 
affairs, and the eagerness to make everything better, 
everybody happier, and to give everybody a fair oppor- 
tunity to do the best he can. 

Better Farming.— With the aid of the United States 
government, as we have seen, the state government a 
number of years ago began educating the young men on 
the farms, as well as the farmers themselves, in the science 
of farming. Recently this work has grown a great deal 
in importance. An agricultural high school has been 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 335 

started in each congressional district, and in nearly all 
of the counties the Federal government has farm demon- 
stration agents and demonstration farms to show how 
better and larger crops can be grown by the proper 
methods. The boys' corn clubs are interesting the boys 
and young men in scientific farming, and many of the 
boys have raised more corn to the acre than their 
fathers ever did. The railroads every year run "better 



THE CAPITOL AS IT LOOKS TO-DAV. 



farming special" trains, with lecturers and exhibits to 
give the farmers the newest ideas about agriculture. 
Farmers' meetings in many sections are regularly held 
and the question of how to raise bigger -crops is discussed 
frequently every year. 

The Good Roads Movement. — Never since the old in- 
ternal improvement days has there been such an interest 
in better roads. 

The State Highway Commission, which was created in 
1906, has greatly helped the people of the state by super- 



336 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

vising the building of roads and in creating interest. 
From 1906 to 1918, over 2,000 miles of road, costing 
nearly $6,000,000, were built, and in 1913 alone over 
600 miles of road were constructed. Between 1,500 and 
2,000 convicts are put to work on the roads. A large 
number of counties have issued bonds to obtain money 
for better roads, since it is better to have good roads 
first, get the use of them and pay for them later, than 
to build only a few miles of road each year. Some 
counties have their own trained engineers to supervise 
the building and the repairing of the public highways. 

Fighting Disease.— In recent years more attention has 
been paid to preventing disease than ever before in 
Virginia. In times past, it was thought that curing 
people after they became sick was all that could be 
done ; now the belief is growing among the people of the 
state that, while every means of taking care of and curing 
the sick and helpless should be used, it is of more im- 
portance that every person should be protected from 
disease. 

The better care of the sick and helpless is the result 
of requiring physicians to have better training in medi- 
cine and surgery and more experience before they are 
allowed to practice, and of providing better-equipped 
hospitals, asylums, epileptic and tuberculosis colonies. A 
number of the cities have improved their city hospitals, 
and Richmond city and the state government have places 
where consumptives can get proper treatment. Private 
hospitals have also been greatly improved. 

How Disease Is Prevented. — The prevention of dis- 
ease has been undertaken by state, city and county 
boards of health, and already good effects are seen. The 
state health department is telling the people in bulle- 
tins and in the newspapers how to avoid contagious 



SCHOOL UISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 337 

dist-ciises by having pure water, and how to prevent sick- 
ness and ill health by keeping the houses and yards 
clean. 

City health departments have been created in Rich- 
mond, Norfolk, Lynchburg, Roanoke and Danville, and 
health officers have been appointed to see that the laws 
requiring healthy conditions and clean stores and mar- 
ket places, and preventing the spread of diseases, are 
kept. Drinking fountains have been put in many of 
the schools, and the common drinking cup has been 
banished from railroad trains, depots and many other 
public places. Cities are getting purer water supplies, 
putting in sewers and closing up the dangerous wells. 
Growth of Cities.— The cities and towns in Virginia 
have increased in population very rapidly in recent 
years.* In thirty years Roanoke grew from a village to 
a city of 30,000 people. The growth of cities has been 
due to larger factories and more factories and to more 
trade and business of all kinds. Goods manufactured 
in Virginia cities are sold all over the United States and 
in many foreign countries. Better roads and larger 
crops are making the farmers more able to buy the 
goods made and sold in towns and cities. 

The towns and cities have also done much in recent 
years toward civic and municipal improvements. Nearly 
every large town and every city is lighted by electricity. 
All of the cities have street cars. A great deal of money 
has been spent on streets, sidewalks and boulevards. A 
number of the cities are providing for more parks and 
playgrounds, and several of them have worked out plans 
for beautifying the streets with trees and shrubs. Pub- 
lic-spirited citizens have provided libraries and Young 
Men's and Young Women's Christian Associations. 

*Spe Appendix C. 



338 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

As business has grown, banks and other enterprises 
have constructed handsome new buildings, some of them 
costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. In the larger 
cities "sky scrapers" have been built, and the cities 
show evidences of "hustle" and prosperity. A large 
number of splendid schools, churches and halls have also 
been built since 1900. 

Virginians in Nat- 
ional Affairs.^With 
the election of a Dem- 
ocratic President in 
1912 and of a major- 
ity o f Democratic 
members of the 
House of Represent- 
atives and of the 
Senate in the nation- 
al Congress, Virgin- 
ians are occupying 
a more prominent 
place in national af- 
fairs than at any 
time since the days 
of Washington, Jef- 
ferson, Madison and 
wooDRow WILSON Mouroc. President 

Woodrow Wilson was born in Staunton, of Scotch-Irish 
ancestry, and received part of his education at the 
University of Virginia. One of the most important 
laws passed in recent years is the currency law which 
was framed by two Virginians, Congressman Carter 
Glass, of Lynchburg, and Senator Robert L. Owen, of 
Oklahoma, who was also born in Lynchburg, both of 
whom are chairmen of committees in Congress. The 




SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 339 

chairman of one of the most important Senate com- 
mittees, the Appropriations Committee, is Senator 
Thomas S. Martin. Congressmen William A. Jones, 
Hay and Flood are also chairmen of important com- 
mittees of the House of Representatives. John Skelton 
Williams, of Richmond, is the comptroller of the cur- 
rency. President Wilson appointed Thomas Nelson 
Page ambassador to Italy and Joseph E. Willard am- 
bassador to Spain, both of whom are Virginians. 

Literature and Science. — Since the Civil War, a num- 
ber of Virginians have become widely known by their 
writings. Among the first of these was Dr. George W. 
Bagby, who wrote some delightful sketches and essays on 
life in Virginia. Thomas Nelson Page, in the '80 's, wrote 
a story entitled "Marse Chan," which at once attracted 
attention throughout the nation. Since then he has 
written many works, becoming one of the best known 
novelists of the day. In more recent years a number of 
Virginia novelists have gained a national reputation, 
among them being Mary Johnston, Ellen Glasgow, Kate 
Langley Bosher, and Henry Sydnor Harrison. 

In historical writings, Alexander Brown and Philip 
Alexander Bruce have distinguished themselves for their 
work in Virginia colonial history. A number of younger 
historians are also beginning to write about other periods 
in Virginia history. John Randolph Tucker, for years 
a professor of law in Washington and Lee University, 
wrote a treatise on constitutional law which was widely 
recognized, and other legal treatises were written by 
John W. Daniel and other Virginians. A number of 
important reports of the United States government 
have been written by Virginians. Virginia surgeons 
and physicians have also made some noteworthy contri- 
butions, among these being the study of pellagra by 



340 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Dr. Lavinder. Professors C. . Alphonso Smith and 
Charles W. Kent and others of the University of Vir- 
ginia are bringing Southern literature to the attention 
of the country by their studies and editions. 

Recent Matters of Interest. — The Virginia people have 
shoAvn thenis(4ves to be interested in many other things 
besides schools, health work and better farming, in which 
progress is the aim. There are differences of opinion as 
to whether all of them will help the people of the state 
in future years, but those who are working for them 
believe that they will. 

Among these are the establishment of a state college 
for women, a new system of recording land, called the 
Torrens Land Registration System, and prohibiting the 
sale of intoxicating liquors all over the state. In 1914, 
the General Assembly agreed to allow the people to de- 
cide the liquor question for themselves at a general elec- 
tion and by a large majority the people voted in favor 
of Prohibition. 

For a number of years it has been felt that the way 
in which taxes have been levied in Virginia was unfair, 
and in 1914 the General Assembly provided for a tax 
commission to study plans for reforming the tax sys- 
tem. Another question which has caused a good deal 
of discussion is whether women should be allowed to 
vote, and a number of women have urged that the right 
to vote be given to the wonu^n of the state as well as to 
the men. 

A New Spirit in Old Virginia. — The history of Virginia 
in recent years shows that the people are more eager to 
make all things better than has been the case for many 
decades. Some of the ways in which it is hoped to 
accomplish this end may not be wise, it is true ; but the 
eagerness to give every one a fairer chance to live a 
hofiltbier. cleaner, more prosperous and happier life is 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF FIBGINIA 341 

very plainly seen. This eagerness, this desire, shows that 
more and more people are unselfish in their aims and 
want to help their fellowmen. AVe may truly call it the 
sign of a new spirit in old Virginia, of a better citizen- 
ship which, in spite of errors that may be committed, 
will make Virginia a greater and better state. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. What things make up history ? 

2. What is there to show that Virginia has made great progress 
in recent years? 

3. What has lately been done to improve farming in Virginia? 

4. When was the State Highway Commission created? What has 
been its work? 

5. What steps have been taken to fight disease in Virginia? 

6. Tell something about the recent growth of cities. What 
are some of the improvements which the cities have made? 

7. What can be said of Virginia's part in national affairs? 
Name some Virginians who have become prominent in recent 
years? Where was President Wilson born? 

8. What progress has Virginia made in literature since the 
Civil War? Name some well-known Virginia writers. What 
have Virginians done in science? 

9. Name some recent matters of general interest in the state. 
10. What may be said of the new spirit of the Virginia people? 



342 SCHOOL HISIOBY OF VIRGINIA 



APPENDIX A. 



BIOGRAPHIES. 

Nathaniel Bacon, Jr., was born iu England about 1646. He 
was educated at Oxford University, after which he traveled in 
Europe, and came to Virginia in 1672. In 1675, he was made a 
member of the Council, and the following year was elected to 
the House of Burgesses from Henrico County. From June to 
October, 1676, as leader of several expeditions against the 
Indians snd as leader of the rebellion against Sir William 
Berkeley, he was the most conspicuous figure in the colony. He 
died in Gloucester County October 1, 1676. 

William Byrd was born at Westover, Va., in 1674. He was 
educated in England, where he was made a member of the 
Royal Society, and became the first writer of note in Virginia. 
He accumulated a library of 4,000 volumes, which was not only 
the largest in the colony at that time, but is said to have in- 
cluded the best books on a number of subjects. He was promi- 
nently identified with the political, industrial, literary and 
social life of that period. He was Receiver-General of Revenues 
for the colony, public agent to the Court of Ministry of Eng- 
land, president of the Council, founded Richmond and Peters- 
burg, and surveyed the boundry line between Virginia and 
North Carolina. He died in 1744. 

William Claiborne was born in England about 1587. He 
came to Virginia in 1821 as surveyor for the colony, and four 
vears later was made Secretarv of State, which office he held 
from 1625 to 1637 and again from 1651 to 1660. In 1642, he 
was appointed treasurer of Virginia for life. As agent in the 
colony for the trading firm of Cloberry & Company, of London, 
he established a settlement on Kent Island, which was for many 
years the object of a bitter contention between Virginia and 
Maryland. He became a supporter of Cromwell against the 
king during the Civil War in England, and was one of the 
commissioners sent by Cromwell in 1652 to demand the sub- 
mission of Virginia. He died in 1677. 

James Carrington Cabell was born in Virginia in 1778. He 
was educated at Hampden-Sidney College, William and Mary 
College and in Europe. He studied law but never engaged in 
active practice. He served in the House of Delegates, 1808- 
1809 and 1831-1834, and in the Virginia Senate, 1810-1829. His 
interest in education and internal improvements caused him 
to devote much of his time to these matters. He was Jefferson's 
right-hand man in the establishment of the University of Vir- 
ginia, of which he was a visitor from 1819 to 1856, and rector 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 343 



from 1845 to 1856. He was also president of the James River 
and Kanawha Canal Company from its organization, in 1835, to 
1846. He died in 1856. 

George Rogers Clark was born near Monticello, Albemarle 
County, Va., in 1752. In 1775, he removed to Kentucky Coun- 
ty, now the state of Kentucky, and the following year was ap- 
pointed major of the militia of that county. He was active 
in repelling Indian raids along the frontier, and in 1777 
planned the conquest of the Northwest Territory. An expedi- 
tion organized and commanded by him captured the three im- 
portant strongholds in that region, Cahokia, Kaskaskia and 
Vincenues, in 1778 and 1779, driving out the British and In- 
dians and reclaiming the territory for Virginia. In 1781, with 
the rank of brigadier-general, he commanded a force of 290 
men in the campaign against Arnold and the British around 
Richmond and Petersburg and along the James River. His 
last years .were spent in Kentucky, where he continued to 
take an active interest in public affairs until his death, near 
Louisville, in 1818. 

John Warwick Daniel was born in Lynchburg, Va., in 1842. 
He was attending Dr. Gessner Harrison's preparatory school, in 
Nelson County, when the Civil War broke out. Enlisting in a 
Virginia regiment, he did gallant service, and rose successively 
to be 2d lieutenant, 1st lieutenant, captain and major. In 
1864, he was severely wounded in the battle of the Wilderness 
and had to retire from the army. He then studied law at the 
University of Virginia and began to practice in Lynchburg. 
He served in the House of Delegates in 1869; in the Virginia 
Senate, 1874-1882; in the United States Senate, 1887-1910, 
and in the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1901-1902. 
He died June 29, 1910. 

Jefferson Davis was born in Christian County, now Todd 
County, Ky., June 3, 1808. He was educated at Transylvania 
College, Lexington, Ky., and at West Point, graduating from the 
latter school in 1828. He was commissioned 2d lieutenant, 
Sixth Infrautry, United States Army, and served with distinc- 
tion in the Black Hawk War in 1832. In 1835, he resigned 
from the army, married and went to live on a plantation in 
Mississippi. After serving two years in the House of Repre- 
sentatives, 1845-1846, he entered the Mexican War as colonel 
of a regiment of Mississippi volunteers. He was in the United 
States Senate, 1847-1851; Secretary of War, 1853-1857; and 
again in the Senate, 1857-1861, from which he resigned when 
his state seceded from the Union. He was chosen provisional 
President of the Confederate States in 1861, and the following 
year was made President for a term of six years, being in- 
augurated February 2, 1862. After the Civil War he was im- 
prisoned for two years by the United States government at 



344 aCROOL RiHTUUl OF ViKGUSllA 



Fortress Monroe. The last years of his life were spent at his 
home, Beauvoir, in Mississippi, where he wrote his great work, 
"The Rise and Fall of the Confederacy.". He died at New 
Orleans, December 6, 1889, and is Iniried in Hollywood Cemetery. 
Richmond, Va. 

Iiord Delaware (Thomas West) was born in England in 
1577. At his father's death, in 1602, he became the third 
Lord De La Warr. In 1609, he was made governor of Virginia 
for life, being the first man appointed to this office. He did 
not come to Virginia, however, until the following year, 
where the arrival of his expedition found .Jamestown aban- 
doned and the colonists near Old Point on their way back to 
England. He took charge at .Jamestown .June 10, 1610, and 
for nearly a year devoted himself to restoring the settlement. 
He returned to England in 1611, and from that time until his 
death was represented in the colony by a lieutenant-governor. 
He died while on the way to resuTue personal charge, .lune 
7, 1618. 

Jubal Anderson Early was ])orn in Franklin County, Va., 
in 1818. He was educated at West Point and entered the 
United States Army as 2d lieutenant. He served with distinc- 
tion in the Mexican War, rising to the rank of colonel. When 
the Civil War broke out, he volunteered under the Confederacy 
and was advanced for gallantry until he became major-general. 
His most conspicuous service was during the last year of the 
war, in the defense of Lynchburg and against the Federals in 
the Shenandoah Valley. After the war he practiced law in 
Lynchburg. He died in 1894. 

Patrick Henry was born at Studley, Hanover County, Va., 
May 29, 17.'',6. He studied law and began to practice in 1760. 
He first attracted attention as a lawyer and as an orator of 
exceptional gifts in his defense of the people in the Parson's 
Case in 1763. He became an active and eloquent opponent of 
English op]>ression in the colonies, and on two occasions, before 
the House of Burgesses in 1765, and m the second Virginia con- 
vention in 1775. made stirring speeches in which he boldly de- 
nounce<l the policy of the English government. He served in 
the House of Burgesses, 1765-1766; in the Virginia conventions 
of 1775 and 1776; in the first Continental Congress, 1774; as 
governor of Virginia, 1776-1779 and 1784-1786; in the House of 
Delegates, 1780-1782 and 1788-1790, and in the Virginia con- 
vention of 1788. He was elected governor for the sixth time, 
but declined to serve. He also refused a seat in the Federal 
convention of 1787. He died at Red Hill, Charlotte County, 
.June 6, 1799. 

Ambrose Powell Hill was born in Culpeper County, Va., in 
1825. He was educated at West I'oint, and served as a lieuten- 
ant in the Mexican war. At the beginning of the Civil War he 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIBGINIA 345 



entered the Confederate army as colonel of a Virginia regiment, 
and was soon made a brigadier-general. In 1863, he was pro- 
moted to be a lieutenant-general. He commanded one of Lee's 
three corps at Gettysburg, and rendered valuable service 
against the Federals in the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsyl- 
vania Court House and Cold Harbor, and before Petersburg. 
He was killed in Grant's final attack on Petersburg, April 2, 
1865. 

Thomas Jonathan Jackson was born in Clarksburg, Va., now 
West Virginia, January 21, 1824, and was left an orphan at the 
age of seven. He was of a hardy, determined disposition, and 
early learned to struggle for himself. He was educated at West 
Point, graduating in 1846, and became 2d lieutenant, United 
States Army, in 1847. He served with distinction in the Mexi- 
can War. In 1851, he was made professor of artillery tactics 
and natural philosophy in the Virginia Military Institute. 
When the Ci^vil War came on, he entered the Confederate army 
as colonel of a regiment of Virginia volunteers, and took a con- 
spicuous part in the first battle of Manassas, where his de- 
termined stand against the Federals won for him the name 
"Stonewall." In October, 1861, he was made major-general 
and plaeed in command of the Confederate forces in the Shen- 
andoah Valley. After a brilliant campaign, 1861-1862, in which 
he def>3ated several Federal armies greatly outnumbering his 
own and drove the enemy entirely out of the valley, he joined 
the main army around Eichmond. He rose to the rank of lieu- 
tenant-general, and took a prominent part in the battles of 
Fredericksburg, second Manassas, Sharpsburg and Chancellors- 
ville. At Chancellorsville, after a brilliant assault against the 
Federal army, he was severely wounded. May 2, 1863, and later 
contracted pneumonia, from which he died. May 10, 1863. He 
is buried at Lexington. 

Thomas Jefferson was born at Shadwell, Albemarle County, 
Va., April 13, 1743. He was educated at William and Mary Col- 
lege and studied law under George Wythe. He took a deep and 
active interest in all public matters, educational, political and 
religious, being a man of broad culture and learning. He 
• served in the House of Burgesses, 1769-1775; in the Virginia 
conventions of 1775; in the Continental Congress, 1775-1776; in 
the House of Delegates, 1776-1779 and 1781-1782; as governor 
of Virginia, 1779-1781; in Congress under the Confederation, 
1783-1784; as Minister to France, 1784-1788; as Secretary of 
State, 1789-1797; as Vice-President, 1797-1801; and as President, 
1801-1809. He wrote the Declaration of Independence, 1776; 
was the author of measures establishing religious freedom and 
abolishing the law of primogeniture in Virginia, 1776, and 
founded the University of Virginia, 1819. He was the first man 
to propose a complete system of schools for Virginia, and was 
one of the first advocates of the gradual abolition of slavery. 
He died at Monticello .Julv 4. 1826. 



346 SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 



Joseph Eggleston Johnston was born near Farniville, Va., Feb- 
ruary 3, 1804. He was educated at West Point, where he grad- 
uated in 1829, and entered the United States Army as 2d lieu- 
tenant. He served with distinction in the Mexican War, 1846- 
1848, and became quartermaster-general of the army in 1860, and 
brigadier-general in 1861. At the beginning of the Civil War, 
in 1861, he resigned his commission to enter the service of the 
Confederacy. He was wounded in the defense of Eichmond 
against McClellan's invasion in 1862, which for a time necessi- 
tated his withdrawal from active service He commanded the 
Confederate forces in Tennessee and Georgia, 1863-1864, and 
was in charge of the army opposing Sherman in Georgia and 
the Carolinas, 1864-1865. He was a member of the House of 
Representatives, 1879-1881, and in 1881 was appointed United 
States -Commissioner of Railroads. He died in Washington, 
D. C, March 21, 1891. 

Fitzhugh Lee was born at Clermont, Fairfax County, Va., 
November 19, 1835. He was educated at West Point, where he 
graduated in 1856, and entered the United States Army as 2d 
lieutenant. Second Cavalry. He resigned to enter the service 
of the Confederacy, and was adjutant in General Ewell's 
brigade until September, 1861. He became lieutenant-colonel 
and then colonel, First Virginia Cavalry, 1861-1862. He was 
promoted to brigatlier-general in 1862, and to major-general in 
1863. At the death of General Stuart, in 1864, he was placed 
in command of the cavalry forces of the Army of Northern 
Virginia, and took a conspicuous and gallant part in the de- 
fense of Richmond and Petersburg, 1864-1865. He served as 
Governor of Virginia, 1886-1890, and later was sent as United 
States Consul to Havana. Cuba. He served as a general in the 
Spanish-American War and in 1899 was made military gov- 
ernor of Cuba. In 1905, he was made jjresident of the James- 
town Ter-centennial Exposition. He died in Washington, D. C, 
April 28, 1905. 

Robert Edward Lee was born January 19, 1807, at Stratford, 
Westmoreland County, Va. In 1825, at the age of eighteen, he 
entered West Point, from which he was graduated second in his 
class in 1829. He was commissioned 2d lieutenant of engineers, 
and for a time was stationed at Fortress Monroe, Va. In 1831, 
he married Mary Randolph Custis, of Arlington. From 1834 
to 1837 he was assistant to the chief of engineers, United States 
armv, and in 1838 became captain of engineers. He served 
with distinction in the Mexican War, 1846-1848, and from 1852 
to 1855 was superintendent of West Point. He was made lieu- 
tenant-colonel in 1855, and from 1856 to 1859 was on duty in 
Texas against the hostile Indians of the southwest. In 1859, 
having returned from Texas, he was sent in command of United 
States troops to. capture John Brown and his followers at Har- 
pers' Ferry, and the following year, 1860, was placed in charge 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIBGINIA 347 



of the Department of Texas. When the Civil War came on in 
1861, he had reached the rank of colonel, having command of 
the First Cavalry. It is said that he was offered the supreme 
command of the United States army at the outbreak of the war, 
but he preferred to remain loyal to his native state. When 
Virginia seceded, he resigned from the United States army to 
enter the service of the Confederacy. For a time he had charge 
of the Confederate forces in what is now West Virginia, and in 
1862 was made commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, 
holding this position until the surrender at Appomattox in 1865. 
During the last few mouths of the war he was also commander- 
in-chief of all the Confederate armies. The close of hostilities 
found him ready to aid the South in its struggle to repair the 
destruction brought about by the war. Believing that he could 
serve his country in peace in no better way than by helping in 
the education of the young men, he declined many offers, some 
of them promising large salaries and political honors, to accept 
the presidency of Washington College (now Washington and 
Lee University), at Lexington. He died October 12, 1870, and 
is buried at Lexington. 

Andrew Lewis was born in Ireland about 1716. He came with 
his parents to Virginia at an early age, and soon became noted 
for his bravery. His first military service was against the 
Indians. In 1756, he was sent on two expeditions, first against 
the Shawnees and then against the Cherokees. He was with 
Washington at Fort Necessity, at Braddock's defeat and at 
the capture of Fort Duquesne. He commanded the Virginians 
at the battle of Point Pleasant in 1774, when the Shawnees 
were completely routed. In 1776, he was made a brigadier-gen- 
eral and given command of the Virginia militia in the defense 
of the colony against Dunmore and the British. His health 
having failed, he resigned his commission in 1780 and started 
for his home in what is now Eoanoke County. He died on the 
way near what is now Montvale, in Bedford County, and is 
buried near Salem. 

James Madison was born at Port Conway, King George 
County, Va., March 16, 1751. He was educated at Princeton 
University, where he graduated in 1772. He took a great inter- 
est in public affairs, and was a member of the Virginia conven- 
tion of 1776; of the House of Delegates, 1776 and 1784-1786; of 
Congress under the Confederation, 1780-178.3 and 1786-1788. He 
served as a member of the commission appointed by Virginia 
and Maryland to regulate navigation on the Potomac River, and 
was a delegate to the Federal convention on commercial regula- 
tions, 1786-1787. He later served in the House of Representa- 
tives, 1789-1797; as Secretary of State, 1801-1809; as President, 
1809-1817, and as a member of the Virginia Constitutional Con- 
vention of 1829-1830. He died June 28, 1836. 



348 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



John Marshall was born at Oermantowu, Fauquier County, 
Va., in 1755. He fought throughout the Eevolutionary War, first 
as lieutenant and later as captain, an.l after the war studied 
law. He began to practice in 1781. He was a member of the 
House of Delegates, 1782, 1784, 1787-1791 and 1795-1796, and 
served in the Virginia convention of 1788. In 1799, he was 
appointed Minister to France, but returned after one year, after 
which he served for brief terms in the House of Representatives 
and as Secretary of State. His most distinguished public ser- 
vice, however, was that of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court 
of the United States, from 1801 to 1835. He was a member of 
the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829-1830. He died 
at Philadelphia, July 6, 1835. 

George Mason was born in Stafford County, Va., in 1725. Lit- 
tle is known of his early years. He first appears in public life 
as a member of the House of Burgesses, 1758-1761. He drew up 
the Non-Importation Agreement adopted by the House of Bur- 
gesses in 1769, and in 1774 offered before that body the famous 
Fairfax Resolves. He served in the Virginia conventions of 
1775 and 1776, and was the author of the Virginia Bill of Rights 
and the first state constitution, both of which were adopted by 
the convention of 1776. He was also a member of the conven- 
tion of 1788. He died October 7, 1792. 

Matthew Fontaine Maury was born in Spottsylvania County, 
Va., January 24, 1S06. He attended Harpeth Academy and in 
1825 entered the United States Navy as midshipman. In 1834, 
he published his first work on navigation, and in 1837 became 
lieutenant. He entered the Confederate navy in 1861. He was 
much interested in navigation and marine service, and in 1862 
established a naval submarine battery service. He was sent 
by the Confederate government as naval agent in Europe, 
where' he supervised the fitting out of armed vessels. After the 
war he lived for a time in Mexico, and was later chosen pro- 
fessor of physics in the Virginia Military Institute, which posi- 
tion he held until his death, in 1873. He made an extensive 
study of militaiy and naval armaments, was one of those instru- 
mental in the establishment of the United States Naval Acad- 
emy, and used his efforts and influence to bring about the use of 
steam as a motive power for ships. 

James Monroe was born in Westmoreland County, Va., April 
28, 1758. He entered William and Mary College, but when the 
Revolutionary War began he left college to join the army. He 
became lieutenant-colonel in 1778, and was sent as military 
commissioner from Virginia to the army in the Carolinas in 
1780. After the war he studied law under Jefferson. He served 
five terms in the House of Delegates; was a member of Con- 
gress under the Confederation, 1783-1786, and was a delegate to 
the Virginia convention of 1788. He was in the United States 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 349 



Senate, 1790-1796; was Minister to France for two years; Gov- 
ernor of Virginia, 17991802 and 1811; Minister to England, 
1803-1807; Secretary of State, 1811; Secretary of War, 1814; 
President, 1817-1825, and a member of the Virginia Constitu- 
tional Convention of 1829-1830. He died July 4, 1831. 

Thomas Nelson, Jr., was born at Yorktown Va., December 26, 
1738. He was educated in England, where he remained for 
seven years. He was a member of the House of Burgesses, 
1761-1776; of the Virginia conventions of 1775 and 1776, and 
served in the Continental Congress, 1775-1776 and 1779. In 
1777, he was made commander of the Virginia militia. He serv- 
ed in the House of Delegates, 1777 and 1779, and as governor of 
Virginia, 1781. With the ranlv of major-general in command of 
the Virginia militia before Yorktown, he rendered valuable 
assistance to Washington and Lafayette against the British. 
He died January 4, 1789. 

George E. Pickett was born in Eichmond, Va., January 25, 
1825. He was educated at West Point, where he graduated in 
1816, and entered the United States Army as 2d lieutenant. He 
served in the Mexican War, 1846-1848, and was brevetted cap- 
tain for gallantry. After this he was on frontier duty in Texas 
and later in Washington Territory until the Civil War came on. 
Eesigning his commission, he entered the service of the Con- 
federacy as major of artillery, and soon became colonel. In 
October, 1862, he was made major-general. He served through- 
out the war, and rendered gallant service as leader of the fa- 
mous charge sent by General Lee against the Federal fortifi- 
cations on Cemetery Ridge in the battle of Gettysburg, .July 3, 
1863. He died in Norfolk .July 30, 1875. 

Pocahontas, favorite daughter of the Indian chief, Powhatan, 
was born in Virginia about 1595. She gave valuable assistance 
to the Jamestown colony, and in 1608 saved the life of Captain 
.John Smith. She was married to John Eolfe at Jamestown in 
1614, two years after which she went with her husband on a 
visit to England. She died the following year at Gravesend, 
near London, just as she was setting out on her return to Vir- 
ginia. She was buried in the church of St. George at Gravesend. 
This church was afterwards burned, and all trace of her tomb 
is lost. Her son, Thomas Eolfe, remained in England for his 
education, and returned to Virginia in 1P48. 

William Henry Euflfner was born at Lexington, Va., in 1824. 
He studied at Washington College, now Washington and Lee Uni- 
versity, from which he was graduated with the degree of Master of 
Arts, and later at the Union Theological Seminary and at Prince- 
ton University. Having entered the ministiy, he was for two years 
chaplain at the University of Virginia, and afterwards pastor of 
a Presbyterian church in*^ Philadelphia. In 1853 he gave uo the 
ministry on account of poor health and engaged in farming. When 



350 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIBGINIA 



the Public School System was established in 1870, he was chosen 
by the legislature as the first Superintendent of Public Instruction 
over fifteen other applicants. He served as the first president of 
the State Female Normal School at Farmville, which was estab- 
lished in 1884. Upon his retirement from active educational work 
he went to live in Lexington, where during his last years he wrote 
a history of Washington and Lee University. 

Alexander Spotswood was born in 1676 at Tangier, Africa, his 
father being at that time resident physician for the English col- 
ony there. He entered the English army and distinguished him- 
self under the Duke of Marlborough. In 1710, he was sent to 
Virginia as lieutenant-governor representing George Hamilton, 
Earl of Orkney. His administration was a period of great 
growth and prosperity m the colony. In 1716, he explored the 
■Shenandoah Valley, being the first Englishman to cross the Blue 
Eidge Mountains. He was removed from the governorship in 
1722, and went to live at Germanna in what is now Spottsyl- 
vania County. From 1730 to 1739 he was postmaster-general 
for the colonies. He died at Annapolis, Md., in 1740. 



James Ewell Brown Stuart was born in Patrick County, Va., 
February 6, 1833. He was educated at Emory and Henry Col- 
lege and at West Point, graduating from the latter school in 
1854. He entered the United States Army as 2d lieutenant, and 
served for three years on frontier duty in Texas, Missouri and 
Kansas. In 1858, he was stationed in Utah. He was a member 
of the expedition sent to capture John Brown in I860, after 
which he was sent against the Kiowa and Comanche Indians in 
the west. He was made captain, First Cavalry, in 1861. When 
the Civil War came on he resigned his commission and entered 
the service of the Confederacy. In 1862, he was made major- 
general and given command of the cavalry forces of the Army 
of Northern Virginia. He was killed at Yellow Tavern in May, 
1864. 

John Tyler w^as born at Greenway, Charles City County, Va., 
March 29, 1790. He was educated at William and Mary Col- 
lege, where he graduated in 1807. His political career began in 
1811, when he was elected a member of the House of Delegates. 
He served in the House of Delegates, 3811-1816; in the House 
of Eepresentatives, 1816-1821; again in the House of Delegates, 
1823-1824 and 1838; as governor of Virginia, 1825-1827; in the 
United States Senate, 1827-1836; as Vice-President of the 
United States, 1841, and as President, 3 841-1845. He was a 
member of the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829-1830 
and of 1850-1851. He was elected to the Confederate House 
of Eepresentatives, but died before taking his seat, January 18, 
1862. 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 351 



George Washington was the son of Augustine and Mary 
Washington, and was born in Westmoreland County, February 
22, 1732. Three years later his father removed to Stafford 
County near Fi-edericksburg. Here Augustine Washington died 
in 1843, when George M'as eleven years old. Washington had 
very poor school advantages. He was taught reading and writ- 
ing by the parish sexton in Stafford County, and later was sent 
to a school taught by Mr. Williams in Westmoreland County, 
where he learned mathematics and surveying. He could not be 
sent to England to complete his education, as had his brothers, 
Lawrence and Augustine. At the age of sixteen he became sur- 
veyor for Lord Fairfax, and, at Fairfax's recommendation, was 
made surveyor for Culpeper County. In 1751, at the death of 
his brother, Lawrence, he became heir to the Mount Vernon 
estate. In 1752, he was appointed major in the Virginia militia, 
being then but twenty years old. He served as colonel of the 
Virginia troops in the French and Indian War, making four 
expeditions to the Forks of the Ohio River, and serving with 
both Braddock and Forbes. He served in the House of Bur- 
gesses, 1765-1775; was a member of the convention of March 
20, 1775; delegate to the Continental Congress, 1774-1775; com- 
mander-in-chief of the Continental Army, 1775-1783, and first 
President of the United States, 1789-1797. In 1797 he retired 
to his estate at Mount Vernon. He died December 14, 1799, and 
is buried at Mount Vernon. 

Henry Alexander Wise was born at Drummondtown, Aecomac 
County, Va., December 3, 1806. He was educated at Washing- 
ton College, Pa., where he graduated in 1825. He studied law 
and "began to practice in Winchester, Va., in 1828. In 1829, he 
removed to Nashville, Tenn., where he remained for two years, 
returning to Virginia in 1831. He was elected to the House of 
Representatives in 1834; was Minister to Brazil, 1844-1847; 
served in the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850-1851; 
was governor of Virginia, 1856-1860, and served as an officer in 
the Confederate army, 1861-1865. He rose to the rank of 
brigadier-general, and was with the army at the surrender at 
Appomattox. His last public service was a member of the com- 
mission appointed to settle the Maryland-Virginia boundary 
dispute in 1873. He died in Richmond,' September 12, 1876. 



352 SCHOOL HISTOFY OF VIEGINIK 

APPENDIX B. 



VIRGINIA COUNTIES — DATE OP ORGANIZATION, AREA, POPULA- 
TION AND COUNTY SEAT. 



Name of County 


Oreaiiized 


Population 
1910 


Land Area 
Sq. Miles 


Countv Seat 


Aecomac 


1672 


36,650 j 


502 


Aecomac 


Albemarle 


1744 


29,871 


750 


Charlottesville 


Alexandria 


1847 


10,231 


31 


Alexandria 


Alleghany 


1822 


14,173 


457 


Covington 


Amelia 


1734 


8,720 


371 


Amelia 


Amherst 


1761 


18,932 


470 


Amherst 


Appomattox .... 


1845 


8,904 


342 


Appomattox 


Augusta 


1738 


32,445 


1,003 


Staunton 


Bath 


1790 


6,538 


545 


Warm Springs 
Bedford City 


Bedford 


1753 


29,549 


791 


Bland 


1861 


5,154 


360 


Bland 


Botetourt 


1769 


17,727 


548 


Fincastle 


Brunswick 


1720 


19,244 


557 


Lawrenceville 


Buchanan 


1858 


12,334 


514 


Grundy 


Buckingham .... 


1761 


15,204 


584 


Buckingham 


Campbell 


1781 


23,043 


552 


Rustburg 


Caroline 


1727 


16,596 


529 


Bowling Green 


Carroll 


1842 


21,116 


458 


HiUsville 


Charles City 


1634 


5,253 


188 


Charles City 


Charlotte 


1764 


15,785 


496 


Smithville 


Chesterfield .... 


1748 


21,299 


471 


Chesterfield 


Clarke 


1836 


7,468 


171 


Berryville 
New' Castle 


Craig 


1850 


4,711 


333 


Culpeper 


1748 


13,472 


384 


Culpeper 


Cumberland .... 


1748 


9,195 


293 


T'umberland 


Dickenson 


1880 


9,199 


325 


riiutwood 


Dinwiddie 


1752 


15,442 


518 


Dinwiddie 


Elizabeth City . . 


1634 


21,225 


54 


Hampton 


Essex 


1691 


9,105 


258 


Tappahannock 


Fairfax 


1742 


20,536 


417 


Fairfax 


Fauquier 


1759 


22,526 


666 


Wnrrenton 


Flovd 


1831 


14 092 


376 


Flovd 


Fluvanna 


1777 


8,323 


285 


Palmyra 


Franklin 


1785 


26,480 


697 


Rocky Mount 


Frederick 


1738 


12,787 


434 


Winchester 


Giles 


1806 


11,623 
12,477 


369 


Pearisburg 
Gloucester 


Gloucester 


1652 


223 


Goochland 


1727 


9,237 


287 


Goochland 


Grayson 


1792 


19,856 


425 


Independence 


Greene 


1838 


6,937 


155 


Stanardsville 


Greenesville . . . . 


1780 


11,890 


307 


Emporia 


Halifax 


1752 


40,044 


814 


Houston 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



353 



APPENDIX B— (Continued). 



Name of County 


Organized 


1 Population 
1 1910 


1 Land Area 
1 Sq. Miles 


County Seat 


Hanover 


1720 


17,200 


512 


Hanover 


Henrico 


1634 


23,437 


266 


Richmond 


Henry 


1776 


18,459 


444 


Martinsville 


Highland 


1847 


5,317 


422 


Monterey 


Isle of Wight . . 


1634 


14,929 


314 


Isle of Wight 


James City .... 


1634 


6,338 


164 


Williamsburg 


King and Queen. 


1691 


9,576 


320 


King and Queen 


King George . . . 


1720 


6,378 


180 


King George 


King William . . 


1701 


8, .547 


263 


King William 


Lancaster 


1651 


9,752 


130 


Lancaster 


Lee 


1792 

1757 


23,840 
21,167 


446 
519 


Jonesville 


Loudoun 


Leesburg 


Louisa 


1742 


16,578 


516 


Louisa 


Lunenburg 


1745 


12,780 


430 


Lunenburg 


Madison 


1792 


10,055 


324 


Madison 


Mathews 


1790 


8,922 


94 


Mathews 


Mecklenburg . . . 


1764 


28,956 


669 


Roydton 


Middlesex 


1675 


8,8.52 


146 


Saluda 


Montgomery .... 


1776 


17,268 


396 


Christiansburg 


Nansemond .... 


1639 


26,886 


423 


Suffolk 


Nelson 


1807 


16,821 


473 


Lovingston 


New Kent 


16.54 


4,682 


191 


New Kent 


Norfolk 


1691 


52,744 


404 


Portsmouth 


Northampton . . . 


1634 


16,672 


239 


Eastville 


Northumberland 


1648 


10,777 


205 


Heathsville 


Nottoway 


1788 


13,462 


310 


Nottoway 


Orange 


1734 


13,486 


359 


Orange 


Page 


1831 


14,147 


322 


Luray 


Patrick 


1790 


17,195 


285 


Stuart 


Pittsylvania .... 


1767 


50,709 


1,012 


Chatham 


Powhatan 


1777 


6,099 


273 


Powhatan 


Prince Edward . . 


1753 


14,266 


356 


Farmville 


Prince George. . . 


1702 


7,848 


294 


Prince George 


Prince William . 


1730 


12,026 


345 


Manassas 


Princess Anne . . 


1691 


11,526 


279 


Princess Anne 


Pulaski 


1839 


17,246 


333 


Pulaski 


Rappahannock . . 


1831 


8,044 


274 


Washington 


Richmond 


1692 


7,415 


204 


Warsaw 


Roanoke 


1838 


19,623 


300 


Salem 


Rockbridge .... 


1778 


21,171 


613 


Tjexington 


Rockingham .... 


1778 


34,903 


876 


Harrisonburg 


Russell 


1785 


23,474 


496 


Lebanon 


Scott 


1814 


23,814 


5^3 


Gate Citv 


Shenqndoah 


1772 


20,942 , 


510 


Woodstock 


Smyth 


1831 


20,326 


435 


Afirinn 


Southampton . . . 


1748 


26!.302 


604 


Courtland 



354 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 



APPENDIX B— (Continued). 



Name of County 


Organized 


Population 
1910 


Land Area 
Sq. Miles 


County Seat 


Spottsylvania . . 

Stafford 

Surry 


1720 
1666 
.1652 
1754 
1799 
1837 
1634 
1776 
1653 
1855 
1790 
1634 


9,935 

8,070 

9,715 

13,664 

24,946 

8,589 

6,041 

32,830 

9,313 

34,162 

20,372 

7,757 


412 
274 
278 
515 
531 
216 
67 
602 
252 
420 
479 
136 


Spottsylvania 

Stafford 

Surry 


Sussex 


Sussex 


Tazewell 

Warren 

Warwick 

Washington .... 
Westmoreland . . 
Wise 


Tazewell 
Front Koyal 
Newport News 
Abingdon 
Montross 
Wise 


Wythe 


Wytheville 


York 


Yorktown 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 



355 



APPENDIX C. 



POPULATION OF CITIES AND TOWNS IN VIRGINIA HAVING 
MORE THAN 2,500 INHABITANTS. 



Name of City or Town 



Population 
1910 



Population 
1900 



Population 
1890 



Alexandria 


15,329 


14,528 


14,339 


Bedford City .... 


2,508 


2,416 


2,897 


Big Stone Gap . . . 


2,590 


1,617 


» 


Bristol 


6.247 
3,245 


4,579 

2,388 


2,902 


Buena Vista .... 


1,044 


Charlottesville . . . 


6,765 


6,449 


5,591 


Clifton Forge . . . 


5,748 


3,579 


1,792 


Covington 


4,234 


2,950 


704 


Danville 


19,020 


16,520 


10,305 


Farmville 


2,971 


2,471 


2,404 


Fredericksburg . . 


5,874 


5,068 


4,528 


Hampton 


5,505 


2,764 


2,513 


Harrisonburg .... 


4,879 


3,521 


2,792 


Lexington 


2,931 


3,203 


3,059 


Lynchburg 


29,494 


18,891 


19,709 


Marion 


2,727 


2,045 


1,651 


Martinsville 


3,368 


2,384 




Newport News . . . 


20,205 


19,635 


* 


Norfolk 


67,452 


46,624 


34,871 


Petersburg 


24,127 


21,810 


22,680 


Portsmouth 


33,190 


17,427 


13,268 


Pulaski 


4,807 


2,813 


2,112 


Radford 


4,202 


3,344 


2,060 


Richmond 


127,628 


85,050 


81,388 


Roanoke 


34,874 


21,495 


16,1.59 




3,849 


3,412 


3,279 


South Boston 


3,516 


1,851 


1.789 


Staunton 


10,604 


7.289 


6,975 


Suffolk 


7,008 


I 3,827 


3,354 


Williamsburg . . . . 


2.714 


I 2.044 


1.831 


Winchester 


.5,864 


5,161 


5,196 


Wytheville 


3,054 


3,003 


2,570 



^Not separately returned. 



356 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

APPENDIX D. 



BILL OF RIGHTS. 

A DECLARATION OF RIGHTS, made by the repre- 
sentatives of the good people of Virginia assembled in 
full and free Convention; ivhich rights do pertain to 
them and their posterity, as the Basis and Foundation 
of Government. 

Section 1. That all men are by nature equally free and inde- 
pendent, and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they 
enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive 
or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and 
liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and 
pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety. 

Sec. 2. That all power is vested in, and consequently derived 
from, the people; that magistrates are their trustees and servants, 
and at all times amenable to them. 

Sec. .3. That government is, or ought to be, instituted for the 
common benefit, protection and security of the people, nation or 
community; of all the various modes and forms of government, 
that is best, which is capable of producing the greatest degree of 
happiness and safety, and is most effectually secured against the 
danger of maladministration; and, whenever any government shall 
be found inadequate or contrary to these purposes, a majority of 
the community hath an indubitable, inalienable, and indefeasible 
right to reform, alter or abolish it, in such manner as shall be 
judged most conducive to the public weal. 

Sec. 4. That no man, or set of men, is entitled to exclusive 
or separate emoluments or privileges from the community, but 
in consideration of public services; which not being descendible, 
neither ought the ofiices of magistrate, legislator or judge to 
be hereditary. 

Sec. .5. That the legislative, executive, and judicial depart- 
ments of the State should be separate and distinct; and that the 
members thereof may be restrained from oppression, by feeling 
and participating the burthens of the people, they should, at fixed 
periods, be reduced to a private station, return into that body 
from which they were originally taken, and the vacancies be 
supplied by regular elections, in which all or any part of the 
former members shall be again eligible, or ineligible, as the laws 
may direct. 

Sec. 6. That all elections ought to be free; and that all men, 
having sufficient evidence of permanent common interest with, and 
attachment to, the community, have the right of suffrage, and 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIBGINIA 357 

cannot be taxed, or deprived of, or damaged in, their property 
for public useSj without their own consent, or that of their repre- 
sentatives duly elected, or bound by any law to which they have 
not, in like manner, assented for the public good. 

Sec. 7. That all power of suspending laws, or the execution 
of laws, bj^ any authority, without the consent of the representa- 
tives of the people, is injurious to their rights, and ought not 
to be exercised. 

Sec. 8. That no man shall be deprived of his life, or liberty, 
except by the law of the land, or the judgment of his peers; 
nor shall any man be compelled in any criminal proceeding to give 
evidence against himself, nor be put twice in jeopardy for the 
same offence, but an appeal may be allowed to the Commonwealth 
in all prosecutions for the violation of a law relating to the 
state revenue. 

That in all criminal prosecutions a man hath a right to demand 
the cause and nature of his accusation, to be confronted with the 
accusers 'and witnesses, to call for evidence in his favor, and to a 
speedy trial by an impartial jury of his vicinage, without whose 
unanimous consent he cannot be found guilty; provided, however, 
that in any criminal case, upon a plea of guilty, tendered in person 
by the accused, and with the consent of the attorney for the 
Oominouwealth, entered of record, the court shall, and in a prosecu- 
tion for an offence not punishable by death, or coufinem.ent in the 
penintentiary, upcni a plea of not guilty, with the consent of the 
aoeused, given in person, and of the attorney for the Commonwealth, 
both entered of record, the court, in its discretion^ may hear and 
determine the case, without the intervention of a jury; and, that the 
General Assembly may provide for the trial of offences not punish- 
able by death, or confinement in the penitentiary, by a justice of 
the peace, without a jury, preserving in all such cases, the right 
of the accused to an appeal to and trial by jury in the circuit or 
corporation court; and may also provide for juries consisting of 
less than twelve, but not less than five, for the trial of offences 
not punishable by death, or confinement in the penintentiary, and 
may classify such cases, and prescribe the number of jurors for 
each class. 

Sec. 9. That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor ex- 
cessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. 

Sec. 10. That general warrants, whereby an officer or mes- 
senger may be commanded to search suspected places without 
evidence of a fact committed, or to seize any person or persons 
not named, or whose offence is not particularly described and 
snpjiorted by evidence, are grievous and oppressive, and ought 
not to 1>8 grailted. 

Sec. 11. That no person shall be deprived of his property 
without due process of law; and in controversies respecting prop- 
erty, and in suits between man and man, trial by jury is preferable 
to any other, and ought to be held sacred; but the General Assem- 
bly may limit the number of jurors for civil cases in circuit and 



358 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

corporation courts to not less than five in cases now cognizable 
by justices of the peace, or to not less than seven in cases not so 
coijnizable. 

Sec. 12. That the freedom of the press is one of the great 
bulwarks of liberty, and can never be restrained but by despotic 
governments; and any citizen may freely speak, write and publish 
his sentiments on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse 
of that right. 

Sec. 13. That a well-regulated militia, composed of the body 
of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural and safe 
defence of a free state; that standing armies, in time of peace, 
should be avoided as dangerous to liberty; and that in all cases 
the military should be under strict subordination to, and governed 
by, the civil power. 

"Sec. 14. That the people have a right to uniform government; 
and, therefore, that no government separate from, or independent 
of, the government of Virginia, ought to be erected or established 
within the limits thereof. 

Sec. 15. That no free government, or the blessing of liberty, 
can be preserved to any people, but by a firm adherence to justice, 
moderation, temperance, frugality and virtue, and by frequent 
recurrence to fundamental principles. 

Sec. 16. That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator, 
and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason 
and conviction, not by force or violence; and, therefore, all men 
are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to 
the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all 
to practice Christian forbearance, love and charity towards each 
other. 

Sec. 17. The rights enumerated in this Bill of Eights shall not 
be construed to limit other rights of the people not therein ex- 
pressed. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

APPENDIX E. 



ORDINANCE OF SECESSION. 



AN ORDINANCE TO REPEAL THE RATIFICATION OF THE CON- 
STITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY THE 
STATE OF VIRGINIA, AND TO RESUME ALL THE RIGHTS AND 
POWERS GRANTED UNDER SAID CONSTITUTION. 



The people of Virginia, in their ratification of the Constitution 
of the United States of America, adopted by them in convention 
on the 25th day of June, in the year of our Lord 1788, having 
declared that the powers granted under said Constitution were 
derived from the people of the United States, and might be re- 
sumed whensoever the same should be perverted to their injury 
and oppression, and the Federal Government having perverted said 
powers, not only to the injury of the people of Virginia, but to 
the oppression of the Southern slave-holding States: 

Now, therefore, we, the people of Virginia, do declare and 
ordain, That the ordinance adopted by the people of this State 
in convention on the 25th of June, in the year of our Lord 1788, 
whereby the Constitution of the United States of America was 
ratified, and all acts of the General Assembly of this State ratify- 
ing or adopting amendments to said Constitution, are hereby 
repealed and abrogated ; that the union between the State of Vir- 
ginia and the other States under the Constitution aforesaid is 
hereby dissolved, and that the State of Virginia is in the full posses- 
sion and exercise of all the rights of sovereignty which belong and 
appertain to a free and independent State. 

And they do further declare, That the said Constitution of the 
United States of America is no longer binding on any of the 
citizens of this State. 

This ordinance shall take effect and be an act of this day, when 
ratified by a majority of the votes of the people of this State 
cast at a poll to be taken thereon on the fourth Thursday in May 
next, in pursuance of a schedule hereafter to be enacted. 

Done in Convention, in the city of Eichmond, on the 17th day of 
April, in the year of our Lord 1861, and in the eighty-fifth year 
of the Commonwealth of Virginia. 



360 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VlRCrlNIK 



APPENDIX F. 



RAILROADS IN VIRGINIA. 

Railroads in Eastern Virginia.— During the years 1830 to 1836 
seven railroad companies were chartered. Of these, five were 
to build railroads connecting Richmond and Petersburg with the 
country around. Their names and the years of their charters were : 

1 — 1830 — Petersburg railroad to connect Petersburg and 
Weldon, N. C. 

2 — 1834 — Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, to 
connect Richmond with Fredericksburg and the country north of 
that town. 

3 — 1836 — The Louisa Railroad, to connect Richmond with the 
country northwest as far as Albemarle County. This railroad 
afterwards became part of the Virginia Central Railroad, which 
itself is now a part of the main line of the Chesapeake and 
Ohio. 

4 — 1836 — The Richmond and Petersburg Railroad, to connect 
those two cities. 

Besides these, the Portsmouth and Roanoke Railroad, which was 
changed in 1846 to the Seaboard and Roanoke, was chartered in 
1832 to connect Portsmouth with Weldon, N. C. All of these 
were either in the eastern part of the state or were built to con- 
nect the eastern part with the middle section. Only one railroad 
was in the middle section. That was the Winchester and Potomac, 
■chartered in 1831, to connect the Valley of Virginia, starting at 
Winchester, with the Potomac River at Harper's Ferry. 

Railroads in Central Virginia. — .Sixteen railroad companies 
w^ere chartered between 1845 and 1860. From 1845 to 1850 
Tiearly all of the companies that were started undertook to build 
roads through the middle part of the state. They were five in 
all, as follows: 

1 — 1846 — The Southside Railroad, to connect Lynchburg with 
Petersburg. 

2 — 1847 — The Richmond and Danville Railroad, to connect 
those two towns. 

3 — 1848 — The Orange and Alexandria Railroad (afterwards 
the Orange, Alexandria, and Manassas), to connect Alexandria 
with Lynchburg. 

4 — 1849 — The Blue Ridge Railroad, to connect the end of the 
Louisa Railroad with Covington, Both of these railroads were 
combined in the same year to make the Virginia Central Railroad. 

5 — 1850 — The Manassas Gap Railroad, to connect the Richmond, 
Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad with the Valley. It 
afterwards became a part of the Orange and Alexandria. 



SCHOOL EI STORY OF FIBGINIA 361 



Railroads in Western Virginia. — .Between 1848 and 1860, five 
companies were chartered to build railroads from middle Vir- 
ginia to her western boundaries in order to connect with the rail- 
roads in the states west. They were: 

1 — 1848 — The Virginia and Tennessee, from Lynchburg to 
Bristol. This is the railroad the people of Lynchburg wanted 
instead of a canal as early as 1829, but the members of the Assembly 
from the country about Richmond and eastern Virginia would not 
vote for chartering it. 

2 — 1853 — The Alexandria, Loudon and Hampshire Railroad, to 
connect Alexandria with the country to the northwest as far as 
Loudon county. The company also planned to build it r.s far as 
Hampshire County in order to connect with the coal mines and 
with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, but it was never completed 
any further than Leesburg before 1861. 

3 The Northwestern Virginia Railroad, which was to 

run through the northwestern part of the state. This had only 
been begun when the war broke out. 

4—1853 — The Covington and Ohio Railroad, to connect Cov- 
ington with the Ohio. This road was only partly built before 
1861, and the state furnished all of the money. It was really 
only an extension of the Virginia Central, and it is now a part 
of the Chesapeake and Ohio. It was intended to be a rival road 
with the Baltimore and Ohio for the western trade. 

5 — 1853 — The Virginia and Kentucky Railroad, to connect south- 
west Virginia with one of the Kentucky railroads at Bristol. 
It had just been commenced before the war began. 

Other Railroads Built After 1850. — In the southern part of the 
state two railroad companies were chartered after 1850 to build 
the following: 

1 — 1851 — The Roanoke Valley Railroad, which was not com- 
pleted before the Civil War. 

2 — 1862 — The Piedmont Railroad, to connect the Richmond and 
Danville with Greensboro, N. C. 

In the eastern part of the state, three companies were chartered 
to build railroads between 1846 and 1860. These railroads were: 

1 — 1851 — The Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad, to connect 
those two cities, and was nearly completed in 1860. 

2 — 1853 — The Richmond and York River Railroad, to run from 
Richmond down the peninsula which lies between the .Tames and 
York rivers. This was about two-thirds finished when the war 
began. 

3 — 1853 — The Fredericksburg and Gordonsville Railroad, to 
connect those two towns and afterwards to be built as far as 
Charlottesville. This road was never finished, only twenty-four 
and a half miles having been graded in 1861. 

Repairing and Reorganizing the Railroads.— In 1870 the Gen- 
eral Assembly permitted three roads, the Petersburg and Norfolk, 
the Southside, and the Virginia and Tennessee, to be combined 



362 SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 



into one road called the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Eailroad, 
and the new road was given the right to borrow by selling bonds, 
the sum of $15,000,000. Two-thirds of this amount was borrowed 
in Europe, and the old tracks were repaired and new engines and 
cars were bought. As the result of bad management, however, 
the new company became bankrupt and the railroad was sold to a 
new company in 1881. This was the Norfolk and Western Rail- 
way Company, which now owns the road. 

In the same way the state permitted the Richmond and Danville 
Railroad and the Orange and Alexandria Railroad (formerly the 
Orange, Charlottesville and Ijynchburg Railroad) to borrow money 
and make repairs. Most of the money w^as borrowed in the 
Northern states and some in Europe. These two roads now form 
a part of the main line of the Southern Railway. 

The Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad was able 
to pay for most of its repairs without borrowing. The same was 
true of the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad and the Petersburg 
and M^'eldon Railroad, both of which are now parts of the Atlantic 
Coast Line. 

New Railroads Built. — The state government had contributed 
over two million dollars to the building of the Chesapeake and Ohio 
Railroad from Charlottesville westward, but the road was not 
completed before the war and the company owning it became 
bankrupt. Several years elapsed after the reconstruction period 
was ended before the building of the road was again undertaken. 
This was done largely by Northern capitalists, and thus the 
transportation route planned nearly a century before was com- 
pleted. 

Two important new railroads were built in the Valley of Vir- 
ginia, however, w^hich had not been planned before the war. 
One of these was the Valley Railroad, which was an extension 
of the old Harper's Ferry and Winchester Railroad, as far up 
the Valley as Lexington. This road, with the exception of the 
small piece between Harrisonburg and Strasburg belonging to 
the Southern Railway, now belongs to the Baltimore and Ohio. 
The other was the Shenandoah Valley from Shepherdstown on 
the Potomac River to the Norfolk and Western Railroad at 
Roanoke (then Big Lick). This road is now a branch of the 
Norfolk and Western. The Valley Railroad opened up a trans- 
portation route from the Valley of Virginia to Baltimore, and 
the Shenandoah Valley Railroad opened a route from the Valley 
to Philadelphia. By these means the people of the Valley have 
been put into closer touch with these two cities than with any 
Virginia cities, and the trade and business of the "garden spot 
of America"* have gone largely out of Virginia as the result. 

*Volney gave the Valley of Virginia this name as early as 1804. 



